Iraqi Shoe-Thrower Would Do It Again

(AP)  The Iraqi journalist who threw his shoes at President George W. Bush says he would do it again and that he was forced to write a letter of apology after being tortured in jail, the journalist's brother claimed Monday.

Muntadhar al-Zeidi's outburst during a Dec. 14 news conference with Mr. Bush and Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki has been repeatedly broadcast worldwide, making him a symbol for opponents of the U.S.-led invasion and occupation of Iraq. Thousands of Iraqis have rallied to demand his release.

The dispute has touched on the Iraqi parliament, where lawmakers called an emergency closed-door session Monday to try to remove the speaker after a shouting match over the journalist.

As a result of the dispute, lawmakers on Monday adjourned for the day without voting on a resolution allowing British and other non-American troops to stay through the end of July. Without the resolution, those troops would have no legal ground to remain after a U.N. mandate expires on Dec. 31.

Al-Zeidi's trial on charges of assaulting a foreign leader is scheduled to begin Dec. 31, said Abdul-Sattar Bayrkdar, a spokesman for the Iraqi Higher Judicial Court. A conviction would carry a sentence of up to two years in prison.

The prime minister's office said last week that al-Zeidi had written a letter of apology and asked al-Maliki to recommend a pardon.

Al-Maliki claimed that al-Zeidi wrote that a known terrorist had induced him to throw the shoes.

"He revealed ... that a person provoked him to commit this act and that person is known to us for slitting throats," al-Maliki said, according to the prime minister's Web site. The alleged instigator was not named.

But the journalist's brother, Uday al-Zeidi, told The Associated Press that the letter was written against the journalist's will.

"He told me that he has no regret because of what he did and that he would do it again," Uday al-Zeidi said by telephone.

He said he visited his brother in jail on Sunday and found him with a missing tooth and cigarette burns on his ears. Muntadhar al-Zeidi told his brother that jailers also doused the journalist with cold water while he was naked, Uday al-Zeidi said.

The investigating judge in the case has said that the journalist was beaten around the face and eyes when he was wrestled to the ground after throwing the shoes.

But Uday al-Zeidi claims his brother was severely tortured.

"When I saw him yesterday, there were bruises on his face and body. He told me that they used an iron bar to hit him when they took him out of the press conference room. He told me that he began screaming and thought all those at the press conference would have heard his voice," he told AP Television News.

But Bayrkdar, the court spokesman, said that when the investigating judge took al-Zeidi's statement last week he "did not ask to be checked by a medical committee and did not say that he was tortured during the investigation."

Al-Maliki also said that his government remains "committed to protecting the journalist in performing his professional duty" and guarantees him the right to practice his profession "on condition that he does not violate the dignity of others."

Neither Mr. Bush nor al-Maliki have sought charges, but investigating judge Dhia al-Kinani said last week he does not have the legal option to drop the case.

If parliament fails to pass the resolution on non-American foreign troops before a U.N. mandate expires on Dec. 31, they would have no legal grounds to remain.

Britain has already announced it plans to withdraw its 4,000 troops from southern Iraq by the end of May. Australia, El Salvador, Estonia and Romania also have far smaller contingents. U.S. troops can remain in Iraq until the end of 2011 under a separate agreement reached this year.

Al-Mashhadani said he was resigning last week during a shouting match in parliament over the journalist's detention. It was unclear at that time whether al-Mashhadani, a Sunni, truly intended to resign or was exaggerating in the heat of the moment.

But Shiite and Kurdish lawmakers aimed to force the issue on Monday. Two years ago, the Shiite bloc ousted al-Mashhadani after a series of outbursts, but his fellow Sunnis forced them to reinstate him.

"Either he resigns or we vote him down," said Kurdish lawmaker Muhsin al-Saadoun. Together, Kurdish and Shiite blocs hold the necessary majority of seats to fire the speaker.

The rebellious lawmakers indicated they thought al-Mashhadani insulted the legislature last Wednesday when he said: "There is no honor in leading this parliament and I announce my resignation."

[jimandvictor]

Drmaqazi...

You mean that places like the Phillipines,African countries,India,Pakistan,Netherlands and Spain(who have no troops deployed anywhere)Saudi Arabia,Afghanistan(these terrorist nutcases terrorised their own people before America''s arrivial) Egypt, on and on and on.

Stop peeing down everyones back and telling them it is raining. Where there is a large population of muslims there is fire. Why do you good muslims not pee on the fire instead handing candy out when their are innocents dieing from your so called bad muslim type actions.

[petro49l]

Zeidi is probably tired of George W.''s alcoholism, street drugs (methamphetamine, PCP, hashish), illicit pornography, and gambling addictions. Iraq does not respect a craven politician as its overlord. President Obama should immediately order Troops from Iraq to Afghanistan.

[thegoodtexan]

"This is your farewell kiss, you dog!" shouted Muntadar al-Zeidi "This is from the widows, the orphans and those who were killed in Iraq." The whole world applauded.

[cockamammy]

Muntadhar al-Zeidi''''s complete unwillingness to demonstrate any real contrition for this political insult has less to say about George Bush and rather makes it quite obvious who this jounalist''''s associates are likely to be (THE ENEMY)....Posted by mydiatribe at 02:31 PM : Dec 23, 2008

What in the world does that mean? Are you saying that the shoe throwing incident had more to do with this journalist''s friends or the fact that Bush falsely lied about invading a country and MURDERED over 152,000 INNOCENT people! You sound like a rabid Nazi scumbag who needs her fox news fix. Reporting unbiased news is not cozying up to the ENEMY.

BTW - There is a spell check here and it is embarrassing when someone puts in CAPITAL letters a word they can''t even SPELL.

[noloyalisti]

Don''t forget to hang shoes on your door, as holiday decorations and in your car. I have shoes in my back window and hanging in my car. Go Zeidi, the folk hero. Hit the jerk. Embarrass the criminal (and his supporters).

[noloyalisti]

This was a GREAT way to show us all and the world the true legacy of the war criminal embarrassment that was Butch. This moron was over their showing his lying ugly evil face to the same people whose wives and kids he has murdered. Too bad the shoe didn''t nail his pathetic head although there is no way to do any further brain damage.

[mydiatribe]

The disrespect WAS PERETRATED on the Office of President of The United States and all the people of this nation.

Muntadhar al-Zeidi''s complete unwillingness to demonstrate any real contrition for this political insult has less to say about George Bush and rather makes it quite obvious who this jounalist''s associates are likely to be (THE ENEMY) Where do you suppose his sympathies lie not with the efforts of our military? That makes this reporter an enemy sympathizer.

Any US reporter who was interested in getting at the truth would investigate who this Iraqi reporter''s associates actually are, rather than counting this idiot''s facial bruises.

This is another classic demonstration of the unpatriotic reporting which has become the tradition at CBS News! Sick of it; HONESTLY!

[tommygun083]

Bush is the worst president in the history of the United States. He can never compensate us for what he has done to our country. He has disgraced us and destroyed our dignity and credibility around the world. He should be turned over to an international tribunal at The Hague. The people of the world would like to try him for war crimes and crimes against humanity. It is too bad the American people can''t try him for what he has done to the economy and to their retirement funds.

[mom_o_truth]

The truth detector
http://www.cbsnews.com/sections/world/main202.shtml

[rudy6543]

Posted by Speakinup21 at 11:18 PM

Btw, don''t you have some boots to lick somewhere else, like FOX news?