• Hadi Matar sentenced to 25 years for the 2022 stabbing of Salman Rushdie.
• Rushdie has been left blind in one eye after the attack and is facing long-term recovery.
• Matar's sentence includes a concurrent seven years for injuring another person during the attack.
• Matar is also facing federal terrorism charges related to the assault on Rushdie.
• The case raises ongoing discussions about freedom of expression and ideological violence.

Hadi Matar, the man convicted of attempting to murder novelist Salman Rushdie during a lecture in 2022, was sentenced to 25 years in prison for his actions. The sentencing took place on May 16, 2025, in a court located in Chautauqua County, New York. Matar, 27, was found guilty of attempted murder and assault in February, after he brutally stabbed Rushdie, who is now 77, leaving him blind in one eye and severely injured, according to CBS News and New York Times.

During the trial, Rushdie recounted the harrowing experience of the attack, where he believed he was dying as Matar stabbed him over a dozen times. He described the experience as frightening, noting the pain he felt and the blood that poured from his wounds, according to HuffPost and Le Monde.

Matar's sentence consists of the maximum 25 years for the attempted murder of Rushdie and an additional seven years for wounding another victim, Henry Reese, who was on stage with Rushdie when the attack occurred. Both sentences will be served concurrently as they stem from the same incident, described by District Attorney Jason Schmidt as a calculated attack intended to inflict maximum damage not only on Rushdie but on the community present at the event, according to Reuters and Middle East Eye.

After the sentencing, Matar stood in court proclaiming his views on freedom of speech, calling Rushdie a "hypocrite" for his writings, illustrating the underlying ideological conflict surrounding the attack. Matar faces further challenges, including federal charges for terrorism, stemming from his actions that prosecutors allege were influenced by a fatwa issued in 1989, which called for Rushdie's assassination, highlighting the long-standing issues surrounding freedom of expression and violent ideology, as reported by NPR and Channel News Asia.

Although Matar's attorneys plan to appeal the sentence citing a clean criminal record and arguing that the prosecution failed to prove intent, the outcome has been described by authorities as a necessary step towards justice for the ongoing trauma experienced by Rushdie and the public’s right to safety and freedom of expression, according to Al Jazeera and South China Morning Post.