Iran: Eight Years of Death Threats: Salman Rushdie
AI Index: MDE 13/17/97
IRAN
Eight Years of Death Threats: Salman Rushdie
On 14 February 1989 Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, the then Leader of the Islamic
Republic of Iran, issued a fatwa (religious decree) declaring that the
British author, Salman Rushdie, should be executed for having insulted Islam in
his novel "The Satanic Verses" published in late 1988. Since then,
fearing for his life, the author has been living under constant police protection,
and all his public appearances are undertaken amid tight security. The
existence of the fatwa amounts to a threat of arbitrary deprivation of
life and a violation of Article 6 of the International Covenant on Civil and
Political Rights, to which Iran is a state party.
While Amnesty International is not aware of any direct attempt by agents of the
Iranian Government to kill Salman Rushdie, it is seriously concerned at the
continuing calls for his death by prominent individuals and institutions in
Iran, which the Iranian Government appears unwilling to condemn publicly.
In April 1995, the 15 Foreign Ministers of the European Union agreed a
concerted attempt to open negotiations with the Iranian authorities in order to
secure a declaration from the Iranian Government condemning terrorism and
guaranteeing not to take any action "aimed at the assassination of
Rushdie". In the course of these negotiations several high-ranking members
of the Iranian Government, including President Hashemi Rafsanjani, reportedly gave
verbal assurances that the government would not send anyone to kill Salman
Rushdie, but this has not been followed up by a written declaration as called
for by the European Union. Inevitably, the lack of such a written guarantee
undermines the credibility of verbal assurances. Moreover, the provocative
statements made recently by some senior members of the religious establishment,
the Revolutionary Guards and the Iranian media have not helped to allay concern
for the author's safety.
On 12 February 1997 the Iranian charitable foundation, 15 Khordad, reportedly
announced an increase in the reward for the murder of Salman Rushdie to $2.5
million. The head of the 15 Khordad Foundation, Ayatollah Shaikh Hassan Sanei,
who is a senior member of the religious establishment and personal
representative of the Leader of the Islamic Republic [1], was reported in the
newspaper Jomhuri-ye Islami as saying that anyone who killed the
"apostate" writer could claim the reward, including non-Muslims and
his bodyguards. President Hashemi Rafsanjani was quick to distance himself from
this position and was reported to have said that day at a press conference: "This
is a non-governmental organization and its decisions have nothing to do with
the government's policies. I don't know what their motive was, but the
government's policy towards the (Rushdie affair) is the same as before, and one
which we have repeatedly announced". However, the failure of the
Government of the Islamic Republic of Iran publicly to condemn and put an end
to such threats indicates official acquiescence in a threat of an extrajudicial
execution.
On 13 February 1997, a statement by the Revolutionary Guards printed in the Jomhuri-ye
Islami was reported to have said, among other things, "Muslims of
the world have always considered Salman Rushdie an apostate and shall not rest
until Imam Khomeini's order is implemented". Since the Revolutionary
Guards are an official part of the state apparatus, this carries an alarming
implication that the fatwa might be implemented by state forces. To
date, there has been no condemnation of this statement from any official
source.
Amnesty International first raised concerns about the case of Salman Rushdie
with the Iranian authorities in February 1989 and has continued to campaign on
his behalf ever since. Amnesty International wrote again to the Iranian
authorities in March 1997 urging them to take prompt and effective steps to
ensure that Iranian policy is not to implement the fatwa against Salman
Rushdie. The organization urged the Government of the Islamic Republic of Iran
to issue an unequivocal written statement condemning any such threat to the
life of Salman Rushdie and pledging to undertake all necessary steps to
guarantee his physical safety, including explicit assurances that any Iranian
citizen or organization against whom there is evidence of planning, aiding or
advocating his murder would be brought to justice. No reply was received.
Some of those associated with Salman Rushdie’s work have also been the victims
of arbitrary attacks. A Japanese translator of the book, Hitoshi Igarashi, and
an Italian translator, Ettore Capriolo, were stabbed in their own countries in
July 1991. The former died immediately and the latter suffered serious
injuries. The Norwegian publisher of the book, William Nygaard, was shot at
three times outside his home in Oslo in 1993, but survived the attempt on his
life. All these cases remain unresolved, the perpetrators having escaped
arrest. Eight years on, the Government of the Islamic Republic of Iran has
failed to make explicit directives that the fatwa should be withdrawn or
not implemented, and appears to turn a blind eye to the continuing threats to
Salman Rushdie’s life orchestrated by powerful sectors in Iran, including the
press, some senior members of the religious establishment and the Revolutionary
Guards.
The Iranian authorities have rejected calls to lift the fatwa, claiming
that the edicts of a dead religious figure cannot be altered. Notwithstanding
this, under the current Iranian Constitution, the Leader's responsibilities
include "defining the general policies of the Islamic Republic of
Iran..." and "supervision of the proper execution of the[se] general
policies...". Therefore, it is within Ayatollah Khamenei's power to ensure
that the clear policy of the government is not to carry out the fatwa
and to punish anyone who calls for its implementation, or tries to carry it
out.
The United Nations Commission on Human Rights in Geneva has consistently
expressed concern about Salman Rushdie’s case in its annual resolutions on the
situation of human rights in Iran. For example, its resolution 1994/73
reaffirmed that "Governments are accountable for assassinations and
attacks by their agents against persons on the territory of another State"
and expressed its grave concern that "there are continuing threats to the
life of Mr Salman Rushdie... as well as to individuals associated with his
work, which have the support of the Islamic Republic of Iran" [2]. In
addition, the Special Representative of the UN Commission on Human Rights on
the situation of human rights in the Islamic Republic of Iran, in his report of
March 1996 said that he wished "to record his own condemnation of the
threat upon the life of Mr Rushdie; he shares the view of those who judge the fatwa
and the offered reward as an incitement to murder. He does not accept the
argument that, if Mr Rushdie is acknowledged to have a right of free speech in
these circumstances, then so too do those who condemn him to death" [3].
Amnesty International regards extrajudicial executions as violations of
fundamental human rights and an affront to the conscience of humanity. Such
unlawful and deliberate killings, carried out by order of a government or with
its complicity or acquiescence, have been condemned by the UN and prohibited in
international standards. The Principles on the Effective Prevention and
Investigation of Extra-legal, Arbitrary and Summary Executions (adopted by the
UN Economic and Social Council on 24 May 1989 in resolution 1989/65 and
endorsed by the UN General Assembly on 15 December 1989 in resolution 44/162)
state in Articles 1 and 4:
1. Governments shall prohibit by law all extra-legal, arbitrary and summary
executions and shall ensure that any such executions are recognized as offences
under their criminal laws, and are punishable by appropriate penalties which
take into account the seriousness of such offences. ...Such executions shall
not be carried out under any circumstances ... this prohibition shall prevail
over decrees issued by governmental authority.
4. Effective protection through judicial or other means shall be guaranteed to
individuals or groups who are in danger of extra-legal, arbitrary or summary
executions, including those who receive death threats.
WHAT YOU CAN DO:
1. Write a letter to the Leader of the Islamic Republic of Iran expressing
concern over the continued threat to Salman Rushdie’s life and urge him to take
prompt and effective steps to ensure that there is a clear Iranian policy not
to implement the fatwa against Salman Rushdie.
Address:
His Excellency Ayatollah Sayed 'Ali Khamenei
Leader of the Islamic Republic
The Presidency, Palestine Avenue, Azerbaijan Intersection, Tehran, Islamic
Republic of Iran
2. Write a letter to the President of the Islamic Republic of Iran urging him
to issue an unequivocal written statement condemning any death threats to the
life of Salman Rushdie
and pledging to undertake all necessary steps to guarantee his physical safety,
including explicit assurances that any Iranian citizen or organization against
whom there is evidence of aiding or advocating his murder would be brought to
justice.
Address:
His Excellency Hojjatoleslam Ali Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani
President of the Islamic Republic
The Presidency, Palestine Avenue, Azerbaijan Intersection, Tehran, Islamic
Republic of Iran
Note: President Hashemi
Rafsanjani's term of office expires in August 1997. In order to obtain the name
of his successor, please contact any Amnesty International Section or the
International Secretariat.