Prosecutors say the men helped direct a murder-for-hire scheme aimed at Masih Alinejad. The trial is expected to show Iran’s efforts to punish those who criticize it, no matter where they are.

Two suspects are facing trial in New York on Monday after being charged in a thwarted plot to kill Iranian-American journalist Masih Alinejad on U.S. soil.

Two men accused of being members of a Russian organized crime group will face trial in the United States on Monday over what prosecutors call an unsuccessful Tehran-backed attempt to kill an Iranian dissident living in New York.

Russian mobsters Rafat Amirov and Polad Omarov — are set to stand trial in Federal District Court in Manhattan. They are charged with murder for hire and conspiracy in a case that experts say underscores how far the Iranian government will go to silence its critics — even those outside its borders.