An Iraqi journalist who gained widespread acclaim throughout the Arab world for hurling his shoes at President Bush during a visit to Baghdad in December was sentenced to three years in jail by a court on Thursday.
The journalist, Muntader al-Zaidi, had pled not guilty, saying at a hearing earlier this month that he was overcome by passion because of the suffering of the people of Iraq.
“In that moment, I saw nothing but Bush, and I felt the blood of the innocents flowing under his feet while he was smiling that smile,” he said during a hearing last month.
The trial was postponed at that time while a judge determined if Mr. Bush’s trip to Iraq was an official state visit, with the defense arguing that because it took place in the Green Zone, which was then controlled by the American military, it was not an official visit to Iraq.
Judge Abdulamir Hassan al-Rubaie declared at the start of Tuesday’s hearing that Mr. Bush’s visit was official, and Mr. Muntader was charged with aggression against a visiting head of state, a crime that under Iraqi law carries a maximum sentence of 15 years.
Before the verdict was read, all reporters were escorted from the courtroom. Moments after the decision, there was a brief period of pandemonium as dozens of family members and supporters expressed their outrage.
“Maliki is the son of a dog,” one woman screamed, referring to the prime minister, Nuri Kamal al- Maliki. “Maliki is an agent of Bush,” a man shouted.
Mr. Muntader, under heavy police security, was quickly escorted from the court room as family members continued to protest.
As they spilled out of Iraq’s Central Criminal Court, a special body set up for major crimes, including terrorism, Mr. Muntader’s lawyers —18 of which were in court — said they would appeal the decision.
When Mr. Muntader launched his shoes at Mr. Bush during a Dec. 14 news conference, the act seemed to capture a deeply felt emotion here. A statue depicting a large shoe was erected in Mr. Muntader’s honor in Tikrit, north of Baghdad, though it was later ordered dismantled by the Iraqi parliament. In countries from Egypt to Iran, shoe throwing became the means of expressing protest. In Saudi Arabia, it was reported that a man offered $10 million for one of the shoes.
Mr. Muntader, 30, has been in jail since the incident and his lawyers have claimed that he was beaten while in custody. As he entered the courtroom on Thursday wearing a light brown suit, supporters gathered outside chanted: “Hero.”
A short trial got under way after the judge declared Mr. Bush’s visit official. The judge asked Mr. Muntader if he had anything further to say in his defense.
“I am innocent,” he said. “It was a natural reaction to the crime of occupation.”
There was lengthy statement by the defense team, arguing that the investigation was flawed and the shoes were destroyed in an illegal manner. The defense also cited President Bush’s own wry comments about the Dec. 14 incident as evidence of the lightness of the offense.
After ducking the flying shoes at the press conference with Mr. Maliki, Mr. Bush had joked that he believed the man wore a size 10, and added, “That’s what people do in a free society, draw attention to themselves.”
“It was an insult not an assault,” said Dhiya al-Saadi, the leader defense attorney for Mr. Muntader.
When the verdict was read, according to witnesses in the court, Mr. Muntader shouted, “Long live Iraq.”
(Source: NY Times)
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4 Responses
Bush’s mistake – he thought the US could make a “pereh adam” into something other than a “pereh adam”. It can’t be done.
Isn’t it strange, that since the election of Mr. Obama, things are getting better in Iraq.
Since the election of the media’s anointed one in America, everything is hunky dory in Iraq. There is a judicial system that works. The sun is shining. People have jobs. No one is in pain. Justice prevails.
No more headlines from the “independent” press about the “quagmire”in Iraq.
It is my opinion that:
1. The main stream media is feckless. Never once did the press in any of its “neutral” reports indicate that things were actually getting better in Iraq since the beginning of 2008 when, gasp, President Bush was our President.
2. If John McCain would not have been so scared to discuss the improvements in Iraq, he might have been elected President.
Mr. McCain should have said, that yes, originally there were mistakes made in Iraq, but it was corrected under General David Petraeus and we are moving in the right direction.
As to this chaya, Muntader al-Zaidi, good riddance. I hope he gets what he deserves in jail.
I do not think he will be looked at as a hero in jail. (Unless the jail is full of terrorists.)
His supporters would be singing a different tune if the shoe was on the other foot.
#2 – you say “the media’s anointed one” and then you say “it is my opinion”? Who do you think you are fooling?