Salman Rushdie on the mend after attack | free press

by time news

The attack on writer Salman Rushdie continues to shock people, but there are now signs that his condition is improving. The alleged perpetrator has meanwhile pleaded “not guilty”.

Chautauqua.

It’s hopeful news about wounded writer Salman Rushdie that was heard from the hospital over the weekend. According to media reports, the author is on the mend. The New York Times reported, citing his literary agent Andrew Wylie, that he was no longer being artificially ventilated and was able to speak again on Saturday – one day after the attack on the open stage.

Wylie told the Washington Post, “The road to recovery has begun.” Rushdie’s injuries are serious, but his health is progressing in the right direction.

Rushdie, 75, was seriously injured during a reading at an institute in Chautauqua, western New York, and suffered multiple stab wounds, including to his neck and abdomen. There was no further information on a motive for the crime.

Suspect pleads ‘not guilty’

The alleged perpetrator, 24-year-old Hadi Matar, was silent in court on Saturday and had his public defender declare him “not guilty”, as the “New York Times” and other US media reported. He was charged with attempted second-degree murder and assault with a deadly weapon and intent to cause bodily harm, police said. Second-degree murder is a separate offense in the US legal system for the death of a human being. For this, the accused in the state of New York can be sentenced to years in prison.

The man from the state of New Jersey, whose family is from Lebanon, could be seen in photos with a white mouth and nose mask in striped prisoner clothing and orange shoes. He remains in custody without bail, wrote the New York Times. The next hearing is scheduled to take place on August 19 at 3:00 p.m. (local time).

According to US media, prosecutors said in court that the attack on the author was deliberate and targeted. Matar took a bus to the institute in rural west of the state and bought a ticket there to hear Rushdie’s lecture on Friday morning. The 75-year-old author wanted to talk about persecuted artists and entered the stage a few minutes before the attack.

Kill call against Salman Rushdie

Because of Rushdie’s work “The Satanic Verses” from 1988, the then Iranian revolutionary leader Ayatollah Khomeini called for the British-Indian author to be killed. He accused Rushdie of insulting Islam, the Prophet and the Koran in his novel. Among other things, the book features a character who resembles the Prophet Mohammed. The criticism is that Rushdie questioned the divine origin of the Koran.

The death sentence was followed by Rushdie’s dramatic escape and years of hiding. He has now lived in New York for more than 20 years.

As of early Sunday, there was initially no new information about Rushdie’s health. According to US media, he continued to be treated at a hospital in Erie, in the neighboring state of Pennsylvania. Fellow writer Aatish Taseer wrote on Twitter that Rushdie was joking. The tweet was apparently later deleted.

After the attack, Rushdie was taken to a hospital by helicopter, operated on and put on a ventilator, his agent Wylie told the New York Times on Friday evening. He cannot speak and will likely lose an eye. Nerves in his arm were also severed and his liver damaged.

Get well wishes from all over the world

Meanwhile, celebrities and politicians from around the world condemned Rushdie’s stabbing attack and wished him a speedy recovery. US President Joe Biden praised Rushdie for not being intimidated and for “essential, universal values” such as truth, courage and resilience.

British prime minister candidate to succeed Boris Johnson, Rishi Sunak, has called for sanctions on Iran. Sunak told the Telegraph that the attack must be a “wake-up call for the West” and speak in favor of classifying the Iranian Revolutionary Guard as a terrorist organization. One must also ask oneself whether a potential agreement with Iran in the nuclear dispute “may have reached a dead end”.

Israeli Prime Minister Jair Lapid also blamed Iran’s leadership for the attack. The incident was “the result of decades of incitement led by the extremist regime in Tehran,” Lapid wrote on Twitter.

Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock (Greens) said: “Anyone who justifies this assassination attempt is spreading nothing but hatred and extremism. Anyone who believes in peaceful coexistence must oppose this clearly and consistently.” Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) wrote on Twitter: “What a heinous act!”.

The PEN writers’ association announced: “As a sign of our solidarity with this courageous fighter for the freedom of speech, the Presidency of the PEN Center Germany appoints Salman Rushdie as an honorary member.” (dpa)

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