Iraqi Journalist Who Threw Shoes Gets 3 Years
BAGHDAD — The attorney for an Iraqi journalist who threw shoes at then-President George W. Bush says his client has been sentenced to three years in prison for assaulting a foreign leader.
Defense lawyer Mohammed al-Abboudi says the decision against journalist Muntadhar al-Zeidi comes after a short trial Thursday in which al-Zeidi pleaded not guilty to the charge.
Al-Zeidi says his action was a “natural response to the occupation” and he shouted “long live Iraq” when the verdict was read.
Al-Zeidi has been in Iraqi custody since he hurled shoes at Bush during a joint news conference with Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki in December. It has become one of the iconic images of the nearly 6-year-old war.
