NEW YORK CITY: Iranian-American journalist and activist Masih Alinejad on Wednesday highlighted the crimes of the regime in Tehran and criticized US President Joe Biden for allowing Iran’s president, Ebrahim Raisi, to come to New York to speak at the UN General Assembly just days after a 22-year-old woman died after being beaten by police in Tehran.
Gripping her own hair, Alinejad described how Mahsa Amini was assaulted after she was detained by officers who accused her of “improperly” wearing a hijab and exposing a tiny slither of hair. She died on Friday as a result of head injuries.
Speaking on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly, at a summit in Midtown Manhattan organized by US-based advocacy group United Against Nuclear Iran, the journalist said she feels guilty about the murder of Amini. Her comments echoed those of other activists who have said they regret the fact that despite their efforts there has yet to be any change in the way Iran is governed.
Alinejad, who in 2019 launched legal proceedings against the Iranian government in a US federal court for harassment of her family, delivered a wide-ranging speech at the summit in which she condemned the regime for its litany of crimes.
Urging Western countries to stand “united to end Iran’s terror,” she said activists must “cancel the dictators” in Tehran by providing a voice for the voiceless people of Iran who want a change of government.
Denouncing the “bloodstained” administration in Tehran, Alinejad said it is “disgraceful” that the US and European governments are helping to prop up the regime by supporting efforts to revive the 2015 nuclear deal, arguing that it failed to stop the Iranian leadership from using its money to fund the disruptive activities of proxies in the region.