According to the spokesman for the Iranian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, “only Salman Rushdie and his supporters deserve to be blamed and even condemned”. “No one has the right to accuse the Islamic Republic of Iran,” he added.
Le Monde with AFP
Three days after the assault on the knife of Salman Rushdie, author of the Satanic verses, Iran denied “categorically”, Monday August 15, any link with the assailant.
“We categorically denume” any link between the aggressor and Iran, and “no one has the right to accuse the Islamic Republic of Iran,” said the spokesman for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Nasser Kanani, in the first official reaction of Tehran to the attack on the British writer.
“In this attack, only Salman Rushdie and his supporters deserve to be blamed and even condemned,” he said. “By insulting the sacred things of Islam and crossing the red lines of more than a billion and a half of Muslims and all the followers of divine religions, Salman Rushdie exposed himself to the anger and rage of people “, he added.
The suspect pleaded” not guilty “
The book by Salman Rushdie Satanic verses has been prohibited in Iran since 1988, because many Muslims consider it blasphemous. The following year, Ayatollah Khomeyni, supreme guide of the Islamic revolution from 1979 to 1989, launched a Fatwa (religious decree) calling for the death of the author.
According to the latest information communicated by his agent and his family, the British writer was on Sunday on “the path of recovery”, even if he remains in serious condition. “The injuries are serious, but his condition evolves in the right direction,” added the author’s agent.
For his part, the 24 -year -old suspect is charged with “attempted murder and assault” and appeared on Saturday evening before a Chautauqua court. He did not say a word, according to the local press, when the prosecutors estimated that the attack was premeditated. The suspect pleaded not guilty by the voice of his lawyer and will appear again on August 19.