Shoe-Throwing Journalist Facing Insult Charges and Prison

Iraqi journalist Muntadar al-Zaidi (below) has become an instant sensation throughout the Arab world and beyond after hurling both his shoes at US President George Bush during a press conference in Baghdad.


But his unorthodox questioning techniques can cost him dearly, including seven years in prison for "insulting the nation's leader," as The Washington Post reports, or even worse, 15 years in prison for "aggression against a president," as reported by the International Herald Tribune.

Insult laws were reinstated in Iraq after the US occupation in 2003, "some resurrected verbatim from Saddam Hussein's criminal code," as The New York Times reported. Ever since, dozens of journalists have been charged with offending public officials and some of them have served prison time for such an offense.

The Post informs that al-Zaidi's actions were the result of a long process that involved his reporting on the suffering of Iraqi civilians during the US occupation.

After the U.S.-led invasion in 2003, Zaidi was distraught over the torture of prisoners at Abu Ghraib. He interviewed widows and orphans in his work as a journalist, once telling an editor that he hoped to meet Bush "and hit him with my shoes." Earlier this year, Zaidi was arrested during an American raid in his neighborhood and released a day later. And in March he covered a U.S. airstrike in which children were trapped under the rubble.

"This incident made him very angry against the American forces," recalled Maithan al-Zaidi, 28, his brother.

On Monday, people across the Middle East applauded Zaidi for expressing their anger at the Bush administration. In cafes and online chat rooms, people joked about the incident with glee, releasing years of frustration with U.S. policies. Thousands of Iraqis demonstrated in the streets demanding his release from Iraqi custody.

The Iraqi government is calling al-Zaidi "a disgrace to journalism," and Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki himself has expressed outrage at the incident as an embarrassment to his country. In fact, the incident is proving to be what the Post calls a "public relations fiasco" for the US president.

The shoe assault turned Bush's trip to Iraq into a public relations fiasco, overshadowing the White House's message of impending victory in a long and unpopular war. The incident served as a bookend to Bush's flamboyant 2003 arrival aboard an aircraft carrier decorated with a banner reading "Mission Accomplished," which was meant as a declaration of victory but soon became a symbol of U.S. hubris as the war continued.

Meantime, according to the Tribune, al-Zaidi is reported to have admitted his actions before a judge, namely throwing both his shoes at President Bush and calling him a "dog" in the process, both of which are considered grave affronts in the Arab culture.

The court decided to keep Zaidi in custody. After the judge has completed his investigation the court may send him for trial under a clause in the Iraqi penal code that makes it an offense to attempt to murder Iraqi or foreign presidents. The sentence for such a crime could be up to 15 years in prison, [spokesperson for Iraq's High Judicial Council Abdul Satar] Birqadr said.

According to the BBC, al-Zaidi has been seriously injured during his detention, and his employer, the Al Baghdadia television network, has requested that the Iraqi Red Crescent be allowed to visit him in custody.

Comments

[Alan in Phoenix]

The only thing that makes this guy a "LOOSER" is that he MISSED !

[Mary]

Uh.. you don't throw shoes at the President of the United States. You don't. It's assault. But what upsets me most is that the US Media is acting like we need to "understand this guy's viewpoint." We don't. Throw him in jail. Keep him there. If someone had thrown shoes at Obama, they would have gone out of their minds with indignation, but it's okay because it's Bush? Double standard. Rediculous. He's the president. Period. You just can't assault our president and then want to "explain". The media shames me.

[Blue Proctor]

Free he guy and give him shoe throwing lessons so that will NOT miss next time. What's the hubba-baloo? So Bush is hated abroad as much as he's hated here. Any surprises?

[J Sierra]

Should he be tried for insulting public officials? Was his dissent appropriate for a journalist? Are journalists in Iraq free to express their opinions without risking their freedom or life? Why is he so popular now in the Arab world?