Iraq
Journalists divided on "shoe" verdictPosted Apr 15 2009
Journalists in Iraq are divided over the court verdict of Muntader al-Zaidi, according to which he will serve three years in jail for throwing shoes at former U.S. President George W. Bush. But most believe that the verdict would not affect press freedom in Iraq, according to the Institute for War and Peace.
Iraqi journalists said they did not regard the decision to imprison a reporter who threw his shoes at a visiting president as an attack on the profession of journalism.
Zaidi, a reporter for Baghdadiya TV, was tried on charges of assaulting a foreign dignitary, which carries a punishment of 15 years in jail. Last week, he was sentenced to three years’ imprisonment in a court normally used for terrorism cases.
Many in the country saw Zaidi’s imprisonment as a harsh punishment while others said that the journalist embarrassed the nation by his act.
Irrespective of their views on the jailing, most journalists agreed that the verdict against Zaidi could not be construed as an attack on the press. Many argued that he had ceased to be a journalist when he threw the shoes.
More information
- Institute for War and Peace Reporting