Iraqi Shoe-Thrower, Muntadhar Al-Zaidi, Released from Baghdad Prison

Iraqi shoe-thrower al-Zaidi released

September 15, 2009 - 10:04:15

BAGHDAD / Aswat al-Iraq:

Iraqi journalist Muntadhar al-Zaidi, who threw a pair of shoes at George Bush during a press conference in Baghdad, has been released from jail nine months after he attacked the former U.S. president.

“Zaidi was given a conditional discharge by the Misdemeanors Court in al-Karkh,” the chief of the Lawyers’ Syndicate and a lawyer from the defense team, Diyaa al-Saadi, told Aswat al-Iraq news agency.

Zaidi, a correspondent for al-Baghdadiya Channel, was initially sentenced to three years for assaulting a foreign head of state but had his jail time reduced because of his “psychological state.”

SS (P)

Shoe-throwing reporter released from Baghdad prison

2009-09-15 17:04:10

BAGHDAD, Sept. 15 (Xinhua) --

The Iraqi television reporter, who was jailed for hurling his shoes at former U.S. President George W. Bush, was released from a Baghdad prison on Tuesday.

Around midday, Zaidi, escorted by dozens of his relatives and local media staff, arrived at the headquarters of the al-Baghdadiyah channel in Baghdad.

For two days, media channels and fans of Zaidi have rallied to receive Muntadhar al-Zaidi outside a complex of judicial and security headquarters at the edge of the abandoned al-Muthanna airport in central Baghdad.

Earlier, Diaa al-Saadi, Zaidi's lawyer, confirmed to Xinhua that an Iraqi court singed the necessary papers for his release and it was only a matter of time for him to be released.

Zaidi, the reporter of the Cairo-based al-Baghdadiyah Iraqi satellite channel, has been in custody since Dec. 14 when he threw his shoes at Bush during a joint press conference with Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki in Baghdad.

Following the incident, Zaidi has become a hero across the Arab world and gained world fame for hurling his shoes at Bush.

Initially, Zaidi was sentenced to three years in prison after pleading not guilty of assaulting a foreign leader. The court reduced the term to one year because Zaidi had no criminal history.

Later, Zaidi got a cut of 25 percent of his sentence due to his good behavior in line with the Iraqi law.

Editor: Li Xianzhi

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