The man convicted of trying to stab Salman Rushdie to death was sentenced Friday to 25 years in prison for the attack, which left the acclaimed author critically injured and blind in one eye.
The defendant, Mr. Matar, spoke briefly during his sentencing in a courtroom in Western New York, saying that he believed Mr. Rushdie to be a hypocrite and a bully. Mr. Rushdie has lived for decades under the threat of violence, ever since Iran’s top cleric labeled him a blasphemer.
Judge David W. Foley, who presided over the case in Chautauqua County court, told Mr. Matar that his assault had been against not only a man, but also the right to free expression.
“It goes to the very heart of what our country stands for,” Judge Foley said.
He said a 25-year sentence was necessary to prevent Mr. Matar from committing additional attacks, whether against Mr. Rushdie or someone else.
Mr. Matar, 27, had been found guilty in February of trying to kill Mr. Rushdie in the harrowing knife attack, which took place in 2022 as the author was preparing to give a talk at the Chautauqua Institution, a summer resort and cultural center.
Mr. Rushdie testified at the outset of the trial, telling jurors that he had been stabbed and slashed more than a dozen times before bystanders pulled Mr. Matar off him.
“It occurred to me quite clearly that I was dying,” he said. “And that was my predominant thought.”
The trial, which like the sentencing took place in Mayville, N.Y., a small town about an hour south of Buffalo, lasted less than two weeks. The prosecution called several witnesses, including Mr. Rushdie; the defense called none. Mr. Matar declined to testify.
Jurors deliberated for less than two hours before returning their verdict.
Mr. Rushdie’s 1988 novel, “The Satanic Verses,” included a fictionalized representation of the Prophet Muhammad that many Muslims deemed blasphemous. In 1989, Iran’s supreme leader issued a religious edict against Mr. Rushdie, calling for his death.
In the decades since, Mr. Rushdie has become a prominent proponent for freedom of expression. He had been invited to the Chautauqua Institution to give a talk on that topic alongside Ralph Henry Reese, a founder of a project that offers refuge for writers.
Mr. Matar was also found guilty of assaulting Mr. Reese, and Judge Foley on Friday sentenced him to the maximum seven years in prison for that charge, though he will serve that time concurrently with the 25-year sentence for attempted murder. Mr. Matar also faces federal terrorism-related charges.
On Friday, Jason Schmidt, the district attorney, urged Judge Foley to consider the impact the attack had not just on Mr. Rushdie, but also on the more than 1,400 people who witnessed it. They were also victims, he said.
Mr. Matar has told The New York Post that he acted alone, motivated by a dislike of Mr. Rushdie and his belief that the author had “attacked Islam.” Before the attack, he had become increasingly isolated and fixated on the religion, his family said. He had been living in New Jersey and working at a clothing store.
Even though prosecutors had not submitted evidence about Mr. Matar’s motives, Judge Foley said it was impossible to ignore the context in which the attack occurred.
In his statement to the court before the sentence was delivered, Mr. Matar said he believed in a “difference between attacking things that are sacred and freedom and speech.”
He said he valued respect, and that Mr. Rushdie “wants to disrespect other people.”
Mr. Matar’s lead lawyer, Nathaniel L. Barone II, had urged Judge Foley to consider a lighter sentence of 12 years, emphasizing his client’s lack of criminal record and his age at the time of the attack, 24. He described the prosecution’s sentencing request as “harsh and excessive.”
At a news conference after the hearing, Mr. Barone said that his client intended to appeal.
Mr. Schmidt said that he was pleased with the sentence and he believed it took into account the damage inflicted on witnesses, as well as Mr. Rushdie and Mr. Reese.
Both men had submitted statements to the court calling for Mr. Matar to receive the maximum possible punishment.
The statements have not been shared with the public, but Mr. Schmidt said Mr. Rushdie’s described the lasting effects the attack had on his well-being.
“He’s traumatized,” Mr. Schmidt said. “He has nightmares about what he experienced.”
Alyce McFadden is a reporter covering New York City and a member of the 2024-25 Times Fellowship class, a program for journalists early in their careers.
The post Salman Rushdie’s Attacker Is Sentenced to 25 Years in Prison appeared first on New York Times.
