The Norwegian Publishers Association is offering the reward following the reopening of the investigation into the 1993 shooting of William Nygaard.
(IPA/IFEX) – 26 November 2010 – On 11 October 1993, Norwegian publisher William Nygaard was shot and seriously wounded outside his home in Oslo. The reason behind the attempted assassination was allegedly the publication of the Norwegian edition of Salman Rushdie’s The Satanic Verses, in which the religious authorities in Iran had issued a fatwa against those who published this book. The police discontinued the investigation and the case was dismissed. But the public prosecutor has recently ordered the case to be reopened. In an attempt to bring the person(s) responsible for the misdeed to trial, a NOK 500.000 (approx. US$81,000) reward is offered by IPA’s Norwegian member to anyone who can offer crucial information to the police in the investigation.
“This unsolved case is a painful case in our society, and a threat to independent publishing and freedom to publish, which are basic premises for a democratic society,” says Geir Berdahl, chairman of the board of IPA’s Norwegian member, the Norwegian Publishers Association.
