This international reactions to the Charlie Hebdo Shooting contains issued statements in response to the 7 January 2015 Charlie Hebdo shooting. The response was largely one of condemnation.
Countries Africa President Abdelaziz Bouteflika strongly condemned the attack in a letter of condolence to his French counterpart François Hollande. "At a time when France is going through this tragic ordeal, I would like to extend to you as well as to the families of the victims, on behalf of the Government and the people of Algeria and on my own behalf, our most heartfelt condolences as well as our strong condemnation of the barbaric act that nothing can justify," said the Head of State. Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry offered his condolences on behalf of Egypt, saying, "Egypt stands by France in confronting terrorism, an international phenomenon that targets the world's security and stability and which requires co-ordinated international efforts to eradicate." President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi later reiterated Shoukry's statement about the two countries' mutual fight against terrorism, condemning the "terrorist attack" and offering his condolences to Hollande and the families of the victims and the wounded. The Mauritian Government condemned the 'outrageous' terrorist attack on Charlie Hebdo magazine and against the values of freedom of expression. Prime Minister Sir Anerood Jugnauth has, on behalf of the Government of Mauritius and in his own name, sent a message of condolences to the French President, Mr François Hollande, and expressed his sympathy with the families of the victims, as well as his solidarity with the people of France. In a message to President Hollande, King Mohammed VI sent his sincere condolences to families of the victims, and the whole French population, condemning the attack as a "heinous act". Sahrawi Republic President Mohamed Abdelaziz expressed in a letter of condolence to his French counterpart deep sorrow over the attack which left many innocent victims, stressing the strong condemnation of the Sahrawi Republic to this terrorist act that panicked all freedom, justice and peace-loving peoples. South African President Jacob Zuma said, "The South African Government joins the international community in condemning the calculated and barbaric terrorist attack on [Wednesday] against journalists and members of the public in Paris, France." He also added "Deliberate attacks against journalists and members of the public contravene international law and constitute a crime against humanity" and that "South Africa stands firmly with the international community by unequivocally condemning all terrorism and will continue to support regional and international efforts to address the scourge of terrorism in all its forms". The deputy head of bilateral relations department at the foreign ministry, Ambassador Abdel Basit al Sanosi, paid his respects at the French Embassy, on behalf of the Sudanese government, where he signed a condolence book on Thursday. Al Sanosi transmitted his government's condolences to French Ambassador Bruno Aubert and said that Paris attack has nothing to do with Islam. The Sudanese diplomat said such terrorist attacks are the result of political tensions in the Middle East, and called for concerted international efforts to resolve these problems.
Asia Central Asia Kazakh Nursultan Nazarbayev sent a telegram of condolence to the French President François Hollande. He wrote, "[The] spread of terrorism around the world now became a threat for all nations. As for its part, Kazakhstan condemns any and all forms of terrorism and extremism that pose a threat to the international security." Chairman of the Senate Kassym-Jomart Tokayev also said, "Journalists were killed in the terrorist attack in Paris. This crime can not be justified. The fight against terrorism is the task of the international community."
East Asia PRC Foreign Ministry spokesman Hong Lei said, "We are deeply shocked at the terrorist attack and strongly condemn it. The Chinese side firmly opposes all forms of terrorism and supports the efforts made by the French side to safeguard domestic security." President Xi Jinping on Thursday sent a message of condolences to his French counterpart, François Hollande, over Wednesday's terrorist attack in Paris and strongly condemned the onslaught. In the message, Xi expressed deep grief for the loss of lives and extended sincere condolences to the injured and the families of the killed. "Terrorism is a common enemy of all mankind and a common threat to the entire international community, including both China and France. China is firmly opposed to all forms of terrorism, and stands ready to work with France and other countries to boost security and counter-terrorism cooperation so as to safeguard world peace and protect the people of all countries in the world." In a condolence message delivered to French President François Hollande the day following the shootings, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe condemned the attack and underlined the importance of Japan's solidarity with France.
South Asia The Ministry of Foreign Affairs released a statement condemning the attack and said, "Pakistan deplores terrorism in all its forms and manifestations. We extend our condolences to the government and people of France on the loss of life. We are confident that the international community will continue to stand firm against terrorism and bring the perpetrators of terrorist acts to justice." Pakistani President Mamnoon Hussain also sent a letter of condolences to President Hollande. Indian Presisent Pranab Mukherjee condemned the terrorist attack and said, "Terror and violence have no place in any corner of the world. The world community must unite to root out terror from every country and society." Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi offered further condolences, saying, "Our solidarity with [the] people of France. My thoughts are with [the] families of those who lost their lives."India condemns attack on French mag office, Deccan Herald, 7 January 2015 Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa condemned the terrorist attack and offered his condolences to the families of the victims and said, "The world needs to come together to fight all forms of terrorism wherever it happens."
Southeast Asia Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen sent a letter to French Prime Minister Manuel Valls on 8 January where he stated that "Cambodia strongly condemns this kind of heinous act. This brutal act of extreme gravity is an attack against democracy and press freedom". The Indonesian Ulema Council (MUI) has expressed fear that Wednesday's deadly shooting attack on the office of the French magazine, Charlie Hebdo, will harm Muslims around the world and hope the international community will be fair with this incident and not generalize it as part of Islam. Saleh Partaonan Daulay, chairman of the House of Representatives Commission-VIII, noted the shooting attack is worth condemning because the action deviates far from the teachings and values of Islam, and described the attack as criminal and as contrary to the values of humanity and defaming the name of Islam In a statement issued by Foreign Ministry, the Government of Malaysia condemned the attack, saying, "Nothing justifies taking innocent lives. Malaysia is united with the families of the victims, the government of France, and the French people." Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak condemned in the strongest terms all acts of violence and voiced his determination to fight extremism with moderation. The Department of Foreign Affairs released a statement condemning the shooting, saying, "We are appalled by the senseless attacks that took twelve innocent lives and wounded several others in Paris." The agency also said that the Philippines is with France and the rest of the world in denouncing the shooting, which it describes as "blatant disregard for human lives and the fundamental right of expression." The agency also states that it sympathizes with the families of the victims. Singaporean President Tony Tan wrote to French President François Hollande expressing his condolences and sympathies to victims and families. "As France mourns the victims, may the perpetrators be brought to justice swiftly, and may the wounded have a speedy recovery," he wrote. Singaporean Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong on Thursday "strongly condemned" the terrorist attack. He wrote, "It is yet another reminder of the threat posed by terrorism to all civilised societies, and that it is totally wrong to invoke religion to justify such savagery." In addition, Singapore had conducted an emergency exercise "Exercise Heartbeat" to simulate these shootings, which is located at some of the Frasers Centrepoint malls on 27 January 2015. Chairman Truong Tan Sang and Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung sent messages of condolences to their French counterparts François Hollande and Manuel Valls, respectively. Meanwhile, at the Foreign Ministry's regular press conference in Hanoi on 8 January, Deputy Spokesperson Pham Thu Hang said the attack is "brutal and unacceptable". She also added that "Vietnam condemns terror activities in any form" and "Vietnam believes the instigators will soon be severely punished".
West Asia President Ashraf Ghani condemned the attack and offered condolences to the President of France, the families of the victims and the people of France, stating that the "killing of defenseless people and civilians is a heinous act of terrorism, and there is no justification for this brutal act." President Serzh Sargsyan sent a letter of condolence to his counterpart François Hollande condemning the attacks and stating that "Armenia and the Armenian people stand beside the friendly people of France."President Serzh Sargsyan sent a letter of condolence to French President Francois Hollande, Office of the President of Armenia, 7 January 2015 The president Ilham Aliyev sent his condolences to François Hollande, the President of the French Republic emphasizing extreme anger by this horrific event, and strongly supported the resolute struggle against all manifestations of terrorism. Ministry of Foreign affairs also issued a similar statement. President Giorgi Margvelashvili, Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili, Foreign Ministry, and the main opposition United National Movement party released separate statements, condemning the attack and referring to it as an "horrible" and "barbaric act of terrorism". Prime Minister Garibashvili headed to Paris to take part in the "unity rally". The Iranian spokeswoman of the Foreign Ministry Marzieh Afkham condemned the attack and said that "any terrorist action against innocent humans is against the teachings of Islam". But Afkham also said that "making use of freedom of expression... to humiliate the monotheistic religions and their values and symbols is unacceptable." Prompted by the shooting by militants who said that they had acted in the name of Islam, and writing about the current image of Islam in the West, Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei released the letter on his official website. It was also promoted via a Twitter account attributed to him. In that open letter titled "To the Youth in Europe and North America", Khamenei urged young people in Europe and North America not to judge Islam by the attacks, but to seek their own understanding of the religion. Holly Dagres of Al-Monitor wrote that Khamenei's followers "actively spammed Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Google+ and even Tumblr with links" to the letter with the aim of garnering the attention of people in the West.