To the British writer of Indian origin Salman Rushdie they have removed his respirator and he has been able to speak following being the victim of a stabbing during a presentation in the state of New York.
His agent, Andrew Wylie, would have confirmed the news to US media following pointing out that the writer might lose an eye.
However, this update has not been made public. Despite this, the president of the Chautauqua Institute, where he was attacked Salman Rushdiehas shared the news.
“Salman Rushdie without a ventilator and speaking! We continue with the prayers on behalf of all the members of the Chautauqua Institute,” Michael Hill, president of said institution, wrote on his Twitter account.
The man accused of stabbing him, Hadi Matar, pleaded not guilty earlier in the day on Saturday to charges of attempted murder and assault.
Outrage in India following the attack
From India where numerous samples of condemnation arrived following decades of threats once morest the writer who was touring the United States.
Rushdie, 75, of New York, was attacked on stage while participating in a conference and according to local police suffered “what appear to be knife wounds to the neck.”
The assailant was quickly detained by a police officer, while the essayist was airlifted to a hospital.
The writer was threatened with death in 1989 by a fatwa (religious decree) from the Iranian government for his work ‘The Satanic Verses’, which forced him to spend years in hiding.
Joe Biden condemns the attack on Rushdie
The president of United States, Joe Biden condemned this Saturday the attack on writer Salman Rushdiewho fights for his life in a hospital following being stabbed, and claimed the values that the author represents, such as freedom of expression.
Biden explained that he is “shocked and saddened” by the “brutal attack” once morest the writer, and assured that, together with his wife, Jill Biden, he is “praying for the health and recovery” of Rushdie.
Biden praised the writer for representing “essential and universal ideals” such as truth, courage, resilience and the ability to express ideas without fear.
“Today, we reaffirm our commitment to these deeply American values, in solidarity with Rushdie and all those who defend free speech,” he said from South Carolina, where he is spending his summer vacation.
(With information from Europe Press)