Muntazer al-Zaidi

Muntazer al-Zaidi ( Arabic منتظر الزيدي Muntazar az-Zaidi , DMG Muntaẓar az-Zaidī ; * November 12, 1979 ) is an Iraqi journalist who became internationally known when hethrew two shoes atthe then US President George W. Bush at a press conference on December 14, 2008.

Al-Zaidi worked for the Iraqi television station al-Baghdadia TV , based in Cairo . The press conference took place in the Prime Minister's Palace in Baghdad's Green Zone . Al-Zaidi got up, threw his two shoes at the President and shouted: “This is a kiss goodbye, you dog. This is from the widows, orphans and everyone who has been killed in Iraq. ”He was strangled by the security service after the throws. Bush's government spokeswoman Dana Perino also suffered bruises.

George W. Bush (left) evades a shoe thrown by al-Zaidi. Iraqi Prime Minister Javad al-Maliki raised an arm to fend off the shoe.

After the arrest, al-Zaidi was to be interrogated as to whether there were any clients for this action. Under Iraqi law, al-Saidi faced at least two years' imprisonment for "insulting a foreign head of state" . At first he could not appear in court. His brother Dargham al-Zaidi and several journalists attributed this to a broken arm, broken ribs and severe cuts on the face. He was treated in the Ibn Sina Hospital . Several hundred lawyers spontaneously offered to defend al-Zaidi in court.

Symbolic imitation of the shoe throw in front of the US consulate in Montreal, Canada.

Applause for al-Zaidi's action came from the Sunni Council of Religious Scholars, among others . The newspaper al-Quds al-arabi reported on the presidential visit that it was “an appropriate farewell for a war criminal.” Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez commented that “Bush bombed Iraq, not shoes”. In the Shiite district of Sadr City , demonstrators demanded the release of al-Zaidi. They used a shoe as a symbol of protest. Horned car corsos formed in Cairo. In Tikrit a copper shoe of 3 meters is dedicated to him as a monument. Throwing shoes on heads of government as a sign of protest has already been imitated.

The Iraqi government strongly condemned the action and demanded a public apology from al-Baghdadia-TV. The broadcaster responded by demanding the immediate release of their employee. The chairman of the Iraqi organization for freedom of the press , Ziad al-Ajili , criticized the behavior as "unprofessional". The international organization Reporters Without Borders called for their release "for humanitarian reasons and to avoid tension".

The trial of al-Zaidi began on February 18, 2009 in a Baghdad court. The maximum possible sentence he could face was up to 15 years in prison. The 25 lawyers who represented al-Zaidi, however, affirmed his innocence and granted al-Zaidi the right to freedom of expression. On March 12, 2009, al-Zaidi was sentenced to three years in prison. On April 7, 2009, the sentence was reduced to one year. He was released early on September 14, 2009.

Al-Zaidi was taken into custody by the army in Baghdad in February 2011. Allegedly he wanted to protest against social grievances.

Individual evidence

1. ↑ "A kiss goodbye, you dog". In: Kölner Stadtanzeiger , December 15, 2008, accessed on November 12, 2019
2. ^ Muntazer al-Zaidi confesses to throwing shoes at Bush . In: The Times , December 16, 2008 ( online ). See George Bush shoe-thrower “too severely beaten” for court appearance. In: The Guardian , December 17, 2008 ( online ); Shoe thrower cannot come to court. In: Der Standard , December 17, 2008 ( online ).
3. ↑ Arab world hails shoe attack as Bush's farewell gift. In: Agence France-Presse , December 15, 2008 ( online ( memento of March 10, 2013 in the Internet Archive )).
4. ↑ Iraqis demand freedom for the shoe thrower. In: Südwestrundfunk , December 15, 2008 ( online ).
5. ↑ Missed target, hit honor. In: Süddeutsche Zeitung , December 15, 2008 ( online ( Memento of the original from December 16, 2008 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link has been inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. ). 
6. ↑ When shoes fly on bush. In: taz , December 16, 2008 ( online ).
7. ↑ protest action. Iraqis unveil sculpture for “shoe thrower” . In: Der Tagesspiegel , January 28, 2009.
8. ↑ Bottom. Who the shoe hits (tagesschau.de archive). On: tagesschau.de , February 2, 2009; see. the illustration there “throwing shoe” from Baghdad .
9. ↑ Die Welt : Shoe throwers from Baghdad face 15 years imprisonment from February 18, 2009.
10. ↑ Die Welt : Iraqi shoe thrower must be imprisoned for three years from March 12, 2009.
11. ↑ Iraqi court mitigates punishment for “shoe thrower” ( memento of April 9, 2009 in the Internet Archive ) . On: tagesschau.de on April 7, 2009
12. ↑ NZZ: Iraqi Army arrests "Schuhwerfer"