Iran And Mr Salman Rushdie

EDM number 1113 in 1989-90, proposed by Alex Carlile on 14/06/1990.

That this House notes that Iranian spokesmen, Government-controlled media and leading figures such as Hussein Musavian, President Ayatollah Khamene'i and President Hashemi-Rafsanjani, were reported on 16th, 27th, 30th and 31st May, and 4th, 5th, 6th and 9th June in the BBC's Summaries of World Broadcasts either as re-affirming the instruction to murder Mr Salman Rushdie, issued by the late Ayatollah Khomeini, or else as reaffirming the totally unacceptable conditions relating to Mr Rushdie of the Iranian Parliament; notes in particular the denial by Mr Musavian of the article in The Sunday Times on 3rd June, the speech by Mr Khamene'i in which he said that the decree for the execution of Salman Rushdie stands firm and cannot be altered and the punishment must be carried out, and the press conference by Mr Rafsanjani in which he said that nobody could withdraw the verdict of God on Mr Rushdie, as pronounced by the late Mr Khomeini; and insists that the threat to Mr Rushdie must be unequivocally and totally withdrawn, and the innocent British hostages released unconditionally, before there can be any question of normal relations between the United Kingdom and Iran.

This motion has been signed by a total of 7 MPs, 1 of these signatures have been withdrawn.