Iranian journalist lands in Israel, saved from death in Iran

Neda Amin, an Iranian journalist who was granted political asylum in Israel Sunday, landed in the country on Thursday after disappearing for a few days.

Amin, 32, who had been seeking refuge in Turkey over the past three years, was to be extradited to Iran, where she could face the death penalty due to her columns in the Times of Israel Farsi edition.

She was shortly detained and then released by Turkish authorities. Israel’s embassy purchased a ticket for her, and she finally landed at Ben-Gurion Airport.

Amin was met at the airport by Times of Israel editor David Horovitz. 

“Thank you,” she said, over and over, embracing Horovitz. “You saved me.”

Minister of Interior Aryeh Deri, who approved the asylum, noted that Amin was facing a real threat to her life solely for writing columns for an Israeli news site.

“Under these explicit humanitarian circumstances, I granted her asylum without hesitation,” Deri stated.