A court yesterday convicted an Iraqi journalist of assault for hurling his shoes at former US president George W Bush.
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shoe-ing support: A relative of Muntadhar al-Zaidi holds up a poster in support of the journalist at his home. |
A court yesterday convicted an Iraqi journalist of assault for hurling his shoes at former US president George W Bush. He was sentenced to three years in prison, prompting an outburst from his family and calls for his release from Iraqis who consider him an icon for a nation decimated by war.
Muntadhar al-Zaidi (30) defiantly shouted, Long Live Iraq! when the sentence was imposed. "This judiciary is unjust," said al-Zaidi's brother, Dargham, tearfully.
Although al-Zaidi received the minimum sentence it could have been 15 years his lawyers denounced the verdict and said they would appeal, possibly hoping a public outcry would aid their cause.
Al-Zaidi's brazen act during a December 14 press conference by Bush in Baghdad turned the young reporter into a folk hero across the Arab world, where the former US president is reviled for invading Iraq in 2003 and for other policies.
