| Journalist gets time for throwing shoes at Bush |
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| Saturday, 14 March 2009 02:51 | |||
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Muntadher al-Zaidi, the Iraqi journalist who gained infamy for throwing his shoes at U.S. President George W. Bush late last year, was sentenced to three years in prison Thursday by an Iraqi court. Al-Zaidi, a journalist who worked for the Iraqi television network al-Baghdadia, threw both his shoes at Bush during a news conference with Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki in December in Baghdad. Neither shoe hit the president, who skillfully ducked the objects. He was quickly restrained and arrested. After news of the verdict reached his family members some were badly shaken and were seen crying, and shouted courses aimed at al-Maliki and Bush. Al-Baghdadia had called for his release after the shoe-throwing incident. During his trial al-Zaidi said he was spurred to throw his shoes, a show of contempt in the Middle East, at the U.S. president because of violations that are committed against the Iraqi people. Following his attack on Bush, Al-Zaidi's gesture was hailed throughout the Arab and Muslim world, where he is widely seen as a hero. His defense team, consisting of 17 attorneys, had formerly predicted that he could have faced 15 years on the charge of assaulting a visiting head of state. More recently they had hoped the charges would have been dropped to “insulting” rather than “assaulting” a visiting head of state, which would have brought a sentence of three months.
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| Last Updated on Saturday, 14 March 2009 02:51 |
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