The attempted assassination of Salman Rushdie

[spot]

The attempted assassination of Salman Rushdie is, blatantly, deplorable.

What is being ignored is that an equivalent scheme offering bounty payment for the apprehension or assassination of listed people is a routine practice of the American government, whose list at Rewards for Justice is a damn sight more extensive than that of the Iranians. The number of people on US bounty lists who are assassinated by the US military itself is an appalling statistic.

Th simple underlying question is if such bounty lists or assassinations should be lawful, whether drawn up by the sovereign government of Iran or the sovereign government of the United States.

Neither government appears to acknowledge itself subject to international law on this sort of issue. I see no moral distinction between them, merely a projection of power beyond their lawful jurisdiction.

[LarsMac]

i can't quite follow you, there.

Surely, by now, the Irani gummint has got bored of Mr Rushdi. And even if not, the fellow who attacked him has failed, miserably, and would likely not succeed in collecting whatever bounty they might offer.

Not that I agree with the US offering up bounties. Such things are not what civilized nations should be practicing.
Though, having a few well qualified Ninjas on the gummint payroll may not be the worst idea ever.

[spot]

Surely, by now, the Irani gummint has got bored of Mr Rushdi. And even if not, the fellow who attacked him has failed, miserably, and would likely not succeed in collecting whatever bounty they might offer.

I would not be surprised if the US charge would go from attempted murder to murder if Mr Rushdie succumbs within a year, would you?

In which case I expect the government of Iran would do likewise within that same timeframe and pay the bounty, which is still active according to today's BBC:

The bounty over Mr Rushdie's head remains active, and although Iran's government has distanced itself from Khomeini's decree, a quasi-official Iranian religious foundation added a further $500,000 to the reward in 2012.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-62528689

Such things are, as you say, not what civilized nations should be practicing. Complain to your representative. Ask him whether US and Iranian jurisdictions should stop at identical boundaries, or whether the US is in some way exceptional.

[LarsMac]

I suspect that our definitions of what is Civilized might be a bit different than what most governments of the world hold to.