An Iraqi court today jailed for three years Muntazer al-Zaidi, the journalist who shot to fame for throwing his shoes at former US president George W Bush
An Iraqi court today jailed for three years the journalist who shot to fame for throwing his shoes at former US president George W Bush. Muntazer al-Zaidi, a 30-year-old TV journalist, had pleaded not guilty at the hearing in the Iraq Central Criminal Court to assaulting Bush during his farewell visit to Iraq last year.
"He was sentenced to three years in jail," defence lawyer Yahia Attabi told reporters outside the Baghdad court. "We expected the decision because under the Iraqi criminal code he was charged with assaulting a foreign leader on an official visit," Attabi said, adding, "We will appeal this decision." Zaidi, whose shoe-hurling gesture is considered a grave insult in the Arab and Muslim world, had risked up to 15 years in jail on the charge of aggression against a foreign head of state during an official visit.
The former US president, deeply unpopular in the Arab world for ordering the 2003 invasion of Iraq, had been at a globally-televised media conference with Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki when Zaidi let rip with his shoes, zinging them at Bush, who managed to duck just in time. When Judge Abdulamir Hassan al-Rubaie asked Zaidi if he was innocent, the journalist responded, "Yes, my reaction was natural, just like any Iraqi (would have done)."
After the verdict, his 25-strong defence team emerged to scenes of chaos outside the court, where several family members screamed, "It's an American court... sons of dogs." Zaidi had been brought into the packed courtroom under a heavy police escort.
Chief defence lawyer Ehiya al-Sadi had argued that his client's motives were "honourable." "He was only expressing his feelings. What he could see was the blood of Iraqis at his feet when he watched the US president speaking about his achievements in Iraq."
He also argued that although Iraqi law considered it an attack on a visiting head of state, "his throwing of the shoe did not cause any injury or damage. The president did not lose a leg or hand or finger. It was not an attempt to murder, but an attempted assault. But it was not a real assault because he wanted to insult the president. The way he did it was buy throwing a shoe not a mortar or bomb.
"His goal was to insult Bush for the the pain Iraqis have suffered. He asked for the court to consider Zaidi innocent and take note of the fact that he had already been in jail for three months."
The trial first opened on February 19, but was adjourned to determine the nature of Bush's December 14 visit. The judge told the court that government ministers had declared it official.
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