Shoe-throwing Iraqi journalist arrives in Greece for treatment
14:51 17/09/2009 ATHENS, September 17 (RIA Novosti) - An Iraqi journalist, who was put into prison for throwing his shoes at former U.S. president George W. Bush and released on Tuesday, has arrived in Greece for medical treatment, local media reported on Thursday.
The journalist, who claimed he had been tortured in prison, is expected to have a medical examination in Greece, although officials in Athens have made no comment on the private visit.
Muntazer al-Zaidi, 30, an Iraqi correspondent for the Cairo-based Al-Baghdadiya TV channel, hurled his shoes at Bush during a news conference in Baghdad and shouted in Arabic: "This is a farewell kiss from the Iraqi people, dog." Bush managed to duck out of the way as each shoe flew past.
Al-Zaidi first went on trial on February 19 and was originally sentenced to a three-year prison term in March. The court described his actions as an assault on a leader of a foreign country during an official visit. However, speculation about his early release first appeared in the media in April.
The journalist's actions have made him a hero in many Arab countries, including Iraq, where a 3.5-meter (11' 6") sculpture of a shoe was unveiled at an orphanage in the north of the country. However, the tribute to al-Zaidi was taken down after just a day following instructions from the Iraqi government.
|
NEWSLETTER
|
| Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list |
|
|
|
