A man who stabbed a prize-winning author while he was on stage in 2022, leaving him blind in one eye, has been sentenced to 25 years in prison on Friday.
According to the Associated Press, Hadi Matar, 27, remained silent as the judge delivered his sentence. While he did not contest his role in the attack on Salman Rushdie, he took the opportunity before sentencing to direct a final round of criticism at the writer. Declaring his belief in freedom of speech, Matar nonetheless labeled Rushdie “a hypocrite.”
“Salman Rushdie wants to disrespect other people,” Matar said. “He wants to be a bully; he wants to bully other people. I don’t agree with that.”
During the trial, the author recounted his harrowing experience, describing the moment he feared for his life as a masked assailant repeatedly stabbed him in the head and body. The attack occurred just as he was being introduced at the Chautauqua Institution, where he was set to speak on the topic of writer safety.
Footage of the attack, recorded by the venue’s cameras and presented at trial, depicts Matar approaching Rushdie from behind as he sits, then reaching around to stab him in the torso. Gasps and screams erupt from the audience as Rushdie raises his arms, rises from his chair, and attempts to move, stumbling for a few steps. Matar clings to him, continuing his assault until they both fall, prompting onlookers to rush in and intervene.
Matar was found guilty of attempted murder and assault in February.
Judge David Foley remarked on the significance of Matar’s decision to attempt to kill Rushdie at the Chautauqua Institution, a summer retreat renowned for its commitment to the free exchange of ideas.
“We all have the right to have our own ideals; we all have the right to carry them,” Foley said. “But when you interfere with someone else’s ability to do that by committing a violent act, in the United States of America, that has to be an answerable crime.”
Matar was given an additional sentence of seven years for stabbing another man who tried to intervene during the attack.
Rushdie is the author of “Midnight’s Children,” “The Moor’s Last Sigh” and “Victory City,” and detailed his attack and recovery in his 2024 memoir, “Knife.”
