Iraqi shoe thrower sentenced to three years jail

Baghdad, Mar 13: An Iraqi reporter who hurled his shoes at former President George W Bush was sentenced to three years imprisonment by Baghdad court on Thursday, Mar 12.

Muntazer al-Zaidi, 30 who was working for Al-Baghdadiya television instantly earned worldwide fame when he threw his shoes at Bush at a news conference in December, 2008 calling him a dog. The government of Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki, who was standing next to Bush at the news conference and tried the block a shoe, described the incident as a 'barbaric act.'

Zaidi who pleaded not guilty to the charge, told the Baghdad court: "What I did was a natural reaction for the crimes committed against the Iraqi people."

"This sentence is harsh and is not in harmony with the law, and eventually the defence team will contest this in the appeals court," said Dhiaa al-Saadi, the head of Zaidi's defence team.

OneIndia News