Iraq
'Shoe-thrower' freedPosted Oct 12 2009
Muntazer al-Zaidi, an Iraqi journalist who famously threw his shoes at former President George W. Bush at a press conference in Baghdad in December 2008, was released from prison Sept. 15.
Originally imprisoned for three years after hurling his size-10 shoes at Bush and shouting, “It is a farewell kiss, you dog,” al-Zaidi’s sentence was later commuted to a year after appeal, and he was freed three months early for good behavior.
Following his release, al-Zaidi held a press conference at the office of Cairo-based news station al-Baghdadia, al-Zaidi’s employer for whom he was covering the press conference last December and who continued to pay his salary while he was in prison. During the conference, al-Zaidi claimed he was no hero but a nationalist, and he made allegations that he had been tortured while in prison. From the press conference, al-Zaidi flew to Damascus to receive treatment for wounds he says he received while in prison. According to Al Jazeera, al-Zaidi now has several job offers.
More information
- International Press Institute
- The Guardian
- CNN