Warning: This post contains graphic details.

Salman Rushdie was stabbed at least a dozen times, leading to the loss of his vision in one eye, damage to his liver and a paralysed hand caused by nerve damage to his arm.

Henry Reese, moderator of the event Rushdie was attending at the Chautauqua Institution in western New York state, was also injured.

In an interview with the BBC last year, the Booker Prize-winning author said his eye was "distended and swollen". He likened it to "a soft-boiled egg" - adding that that losing the eye "upsets him every day".

"I remember thinking I was dying," he said. "Fortunately, I was wrong."

Rushdie wrote a book about the attack, which was one reason this trial has been delayed twice, called Knife. He told the BBC last year it was his way of fighting back against what happened.

• Salman Rushdie: Losing an eye upsets me every day

Now witnesses have begun giving evidence to the court, the trial is expected to last anything from a week to 10 days, according to reporting by the Associated Press news agency.

During the trial, jurors will be shown video and photos from the day of the attack.

Soutik Biswas
India Correspondent

Salman Rushdie's faith in India's commitment to free speech and expression has steadily eroded over the years.

In 2010 he warned of a rising "culture of complaint" in India. Speaking in Delhi, he cited the now deceased Indian artist MF Husain, hounded into exile by bigots. “Artists are soft targets… We don’t have armies protecting us,” he told a media conclave.

He later said India was facing a "cultural emergency".

In 2012 Rushdie himself pulled out of the country's marquee Jaipur Literature Festival after intelligence reports warned of hired assassins. His absence, author Hari Kunzru tweeted, is “a stain on India’s international reputation".

The threats, likely fuelled by political opportunism, were met with silence from major parties, including the ruling Congress, wary of upsetting Muslim voters ahead of key elections.

Rushdie’s forced absence set a dangerous precedent for artists labelled “blasphemous.”

Writers insisted that free speech is non-negotiable - if India cannot protect it, it risks losing its claim as a true democracy.

Nadine Yousif
Reporting from court

Deborah Sunya Moore is the first witness to be called to give evidence in the trial by prosecutors.

She is the senior vice president and chief program officer at the Chautauqua Institution, helping to plan events at the learning centre and book speakers as part of her role.

Moore tells the jury that she was on the institution's grounds the day of the attack. She was at the top of the amphitheatre, greeting the audience.

She recalls that the lecture had started “almost exactly on time” that morning.

She then retreated to a place that was out of view of the stage, she says. Moore adds she heard clapping, the moderator introducing the speakers - and then a “commotion”.

The defence team objected a few times while she testified, specifically to some of the terms she used to describe Rushdie’s lecture and him being a "persecuted" author.

The judge stops her testimony halfway to call for a recess and the jury is asked to leave the courtroom.

After a bit of back-and-forth about her testimony, the judge adjourns the court until 13:15 EST (18:15 GMT) for a lunch break.

This is the moment suspect Hadi Matar entering the courtroom in Mayville, New York earlier on Monday

The 27-year-old was heard saying "free Palestine" as he walked by the public area.

Moments later, he was seen consulting with his defence team.

Nadine Yousif
Reporting from court

Schaffer also focuses her opening remarks on testimony that she says will be given later in the trial by police officers.

She asks the jury to take note of what "assumptions" they make about the accused - and how that colours the way they have investigated the case.

Pay attention, she says, of "whether they are doing their jobs with neutrality, as they must".

Schaffer also notes that Matar did not sneak into the event and had obtained a gate pass to attend the Chautauqua Institution that day. She asks the jury to keep in mind what his intent was, which she argues will be hard for the prosecutors to prove.

"Those details are important," she says of the gate pass, adding it is "reflective of intent to come and watch a lecture".

Notably, Schaffer acknowledges that most - if not all - of the jury have heard in some shape or form about the attack when it occurred.

The defence opening has now concluded and the trial will move onto the calling of witnesses.

Nadine Yousif
Reporting from court

Lynn Schaffer, an assistant public defender here in Chautauqua County, is now delivering her opening remarks for the case, telling the jury that it is her honour to represent Hadi Matar.

Schaffer is speaking on behalf of Matar’s lawyer Nathaniel Barone, who is in hospital due to an illness.

She says Barone is pretty ill, “and it is only a serious illness that would keep him from this courtroom”.

Schaffer tells the jury that the prosecutor, Jason Schmidt, will want them to believe that this case is straightforward, that it is “on video, nothing to see here, it’s already done.”

“Don’t believe him,” she tells the jury. “Nothing is that simple in life.”

She focuses her arguments on the prosecutors’ burden to prove that Matar is guilty of the crimes he is being accused of “beyond a reasonable doubt”.

“If they don’t meet that burden, no matter how bad (what happened) was, you must find the defendant not guilty,” Schaffer says.

Nadine Yousif
Reporting from court

Prosecutor Schmidt then tells the jury that over the course of the trial, his team will present evidence that will aim to prove the sequence of events he outlined, and that Hadi Matar is the attacker.

He says several witnesses will be invited to testify, including Rushdie himself, along with the trauma surgeon who saved his life.

Schmidt says the surgeon will tell the jury that Rushdie lost so much blood in the attack that he nearly lost his life.

Rushdie was airlifted quickly to a trauma centre afterwards in Erie, Pennsylvania, where he received treatment.

"A hospital not equipped for trauma level care would likely not have saved Mr Rushdie’s life," Schmidt says.

That concludes his remarks, and court has gone on a short recess.

We will now hear shortly from the defence team.

The jury will be shown video evidence of the attack.

Nadine Yousif
Reporting from court

Prosecutor Schmidt continues that the attacker then - "without hesitation" and "very deliberately, forcefully" - plunged a knife he was holding into Rushdie "over and over and over again".

The author was wounded in the head, face, throat, abdomen and thighs, Schmidt says.

He adds that what happened was so sudden that even Rushdie himself was slow to react. Henry Reese, the man sitting opposite Rushdie on stage, was also stunned.

But things rapidly accelerated after that.

Rushdie put a hand up to defend himself. Reese also rushed to help, and ended up getting wounded himself, as did others from the audience.

The suspect was then quickly apprehended by a New York State police trooper who was nearby.

A person on stage later picked up the knife allegedly used in the attack and passed it onto others, who later gave it to the police.

Nadine Yousif
Reporting from court

Prosecutor Jason Schmidt has just described in vivid detail how the attack unfolded.

He says that “a young, medium-build man wearing a dark coloured face mask and head covering" began to approach the stage where Salman Rushdie was sitting.

He was holding a black backpack in one hand, and had his other hand hidden.

Schmidt says the suspect walked from the back of the auditorium on the audience’s far left side towards the stage.

He then dropped his backpack, launched himself over a set of stairs and "rapidly accelerated" to where Rushdie was seated.

Rushdie had his back to the attacker, Schmidt says, and had no idea what was about to happen.

Nadine Yousif
Reporting from court

Prosecutor Jason Schmidt is now speaking to the jury as he begins his opening remarks.

He outlines that his aim is to prove, beyond reasonable doubt, that Hadi Matar is guilty of the charges of attempted murder and assault.

Schmidt then sets the scene of the day of the attack. He explains that four miles southeast of this courtroom lies the Chautauqua Institution, a 150-year-old education centre that frequently hosts talks from notable figures during its nine-week summer season.

They invite “notable scientists, authors, educators or artists who have been recognised for their contributions,” he said.

On 12 August 2022, the institution was scheduled to host a lecture on the US being a safe haven for exiled writers who have faced persecution for their work.

The speakers that were scheduled that day were Henry Reese, co-founder of City of Asylum in Pittsburgh, and author Salman Rushdie.

The lecture was held at the Institution’s 4,000-seat amphitheatre, and had started at 10:45 that morning.

Sony Ton-Aime, then the Institution’s director of literary arts, was on stage to introduce the two speakers.

“He then began his opening remarks, but he never finished those,” Schmidt tells the jury, adding that the attack occurred moments after.

Nadine Yousif
Reporting from court

Many representatives from the international media are here inside the courtroom in Mayville to cover this trial.

The front two rows are mostly filled with journalists from the AP and Reuters news agencies, the New York Times - along with us, the BBC - furiously typing away on their laptops to record the trial’s proceedings.

There appears to be a handful of members from the public here as well, seated at the back.

Matar walked in quickly to the courtroom, wearing an untucked light blue button-up shirt and black trousers.

He has since been sitting next to his defence team of five.

He appears somewhat engaged, leaning in at times to discuss things with his team.

Nadine Yousif
Reporting from court

Judge David Foley is now explaining the trial’s procedures to the jury.

He explains that a court reporter is taking notes of what is said inside the courtroom, and that they are about to hear opening statements from both the prosecutors and the defence.

Judge Foley reminds them that opening statements do not equal evidence against the suspect.

The testimony that they will hear from witnesses later in the trial, however, is considered evidence that they can use to decide the case.

He also reminds them that Hadi Matar, the accused, has pleaded not guilty.

Nadine Yousif
Reporting from court

Judge David W Foley, who is presiding over the case, has declined the defence team’s request to defer the trial.

He says that there are other capable defence attorneys on Matar's legal team who are well-versed with the case.

Foley also notes that the court has been aware of pre-existing health issues the defendant's lead lawyer, Nathaniel Barone, has had for some time.

“This should be anticipated,” he tells the defence.

Foley concludes that opening statements will go ahead this morning as scheduled.

Nadine Yousif
Reporting from court

Matar has entered the court room.

As he walked by the public area from where I am reporting he said "free Palestine".

It appears his defence team are trying to get a delay to proceedings, as his lawyer is ill in hospital and they have not had time to get him a new one.

I'll update you on progress as soon as I know more.

The trial of Hadi Matar, the man accused of attacking Sir Salman Rushdie on stage in 2022, is now starting.

Matar faces charges of assault and attempted murder.

If convicted, he could face decades in prison. His fate will be decided by a 12-person jury.

Stay with us as we bring you updates from inside the courtroom.

Soutik Biswas
India Correspondent

On 6 October 1988, Salman Haider, India’s deputy high commissioner in London and a friend of Salman Rushdie, had the grim task of informing the author that The Satanic Verses was banned in India.

The novel, deemed blasphemous by some Muslims, sparked global protests. Iran’s Ayatollah Khomeini later issued a fatwa, forcing Rushdie into hiding for nearly a decade.

India, despite its secular claims, often caved to religious pressure, Rushdie wrote in his memoirs, Joseph Anton. In 1988, Rajiv Gandhi’s "weak government" surrendered to two opposition Muslim MPs with little political sway.

The ban, called a “philistine decision” by the media, bypassed legal scrutiny and came under the Customs Act, blocking imports. Oddly, the finance ministry admitted it had no bearing on the book’s artistic merit, Rushdie wrote.

Rushdie, "proud of India’s openness", was devastated. He fired off a defiant open letter to Prime Minister Gandhi: “What sort of India do you wish to govern?”

A day later after the ban, the first death threat arrived at Viking, his publishers, and a day later a talk in Cambridge was cancelled after more threats.

Decades on, the ban in India remains murky - Delhi’s High Court now questions its validity, and some imported copies of the novel have been spotted recently in a Delhi bookshop.

Nadine Yousif
Reporting from court

It has just gone 09:00 EST in Mayville, New York, where the trial of Hadi Matar - the man accused of stabbing Sir Salman Rushdie more than two years ago - will be under way shortly.

Mayville, a village with a population of about 1,000, serves as the administrative hub of Chautauqua County.

The courthouse is a short seven minute drive up the road from the Chautauqua Institution, where Rushdie was due to give a public lecture before he was attacked on stage.

It is a picturesque place, nestled on Chautauqua Lake in western New York State. Thousands visit here every summer to enjoy the beautiful parks and scenery, or to take part in many of the programmes and events the Chautauqua Institution puts on.

In the winter, however, the area is mostly quiet. The snow-covered lake sits still, and the town’s ice cream shops are mostly shuttered for the season.

Jerry, who works at a local convenience store nearby, told me that this town is one of the safest he’s ever lived in.

He recalled only two horrific crimes that shook the community: one was 11 years ago, when a violinist by the name of Mary Whitaker was brutally murdered in her home by two men who robbed her.

The second, he says, was when Salman Rushdie was stabbed on stage.

Kasra Naji
Special Correspondent, BBC Persian TV

I was likely the first to alert Salman Rushdie, via his literary agent, about the death sentence – or fatwa - issued against him in Tehran on 14 February, 1989.

As a junior producer at BBC Persian in London, I monitored Tehran state radio’s daily news bulletin.

That morning, distracted by the realisation that I had left it too late to order Valentine’s Day flowers for my girlfriend, I was stunned by an announcement on Tehran radio, read by a male newsreader in a deathly serious tone: Ayatollah Khomeini had condemned Rushdie, along with his publishers and editors, to death. “I call on all Muslims to kill them without delay,” the fatwa declared.

I immediately called Rushdie’s agent, hoping for a reaction. He never responded and soon went into hiding.

There had been protests against The Satanic Verses, but Iran had been silent - until this moment. The clerical regime had sentenced thousands of Iranians, including writers, to death, but this was the first time such an order targeted a foreign author.

Iran gathered another credit point on its road to becoming a truly pariah state, isolated and condemned worldwide. In 1991, the book’s Japanese translator, Hitoshi Igarashi, was murdered. That same year, Italian translator Ettore Capriolo was stabbed but survived.

Iranian diplomats tried to downplay the fatwa, but clerics never revoked it. Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Iran’s Supreme Leader, declared, “The fatwa is like an arrow released from a bow. It will sooner or later hit its target.”

Image source, Getty Images

Salman Rushdie shot to fame with Midnight's Children in 1981, which went on to sell more than one million copies in the UK alone.

But the depiction of the Prophet Muhammad and references to religion in his fourth book, The Satanic Verses, was considered blasphemous by some Muslims. Critics objected - among other things - to two prostitutes in the book having the same names as two of the Prophet’s wives.

Protests against the book, including in the UK, proliferated among those who saw the work as insulting to Islam.

The book was banned in multiple Muslim-majority countries.

Iran's then-leader Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini issued a fatwa - or religious decree - in 1989, calling for Rushdie's assassination. In 1998, Iran said it would not carry out the fatwa or encourage anyone else to do so.

Rushdie was forced into hiding for nearly a decade and required an armed bodyguard due to the threats to his life.