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The Iraqi journalist who hurled his shoes at George Bush, gaining instant hero status in much of the Arab world, has today been sentenced to three years in prison.
Muntazer al-Zaidi, 30, who worked for the al-Baghdadiya television channel, shouted "Long live Iraq" when the sentence was read out.
Zaidi had earlier pleaded not guilty and said his actions were a "natural response to the occupation".
He was given the three-year sentence for assaulting a foreign head of state during an official visit.
After the verdict was announced, his relatives erupted in anger, shouting that the decision was unjust and unfair. Some collapsed and had to be helped from the court. Others were forcibly removed by security forces as they shouted "Down with Bush" and "Long live Iraq".
"This judiciary is not just," Zaidi's brother Dargham said. Another brother, Uday, said the verdict was politically motivated. The journalist's sister, Ruqaiya, burst into tears, shouting: "Down with Maliki, the agent of the Americans," referring to the Iraqi prime minister, Nouri al-Maliki.
Zaidi's lawyers said he would appeal against the sentence. He had denied charges of aggression against a foreign head of state as his trial resumed after a three-week hiatus. Under a Saddam Hussein-era law, he could have faced up to 15 years in prison. Defense lawyers said the judge showed leniency because of Zaidi's age and clean record.
The journalist has been in custody since throwing his shoes at the then US president during a news conference on 14 December; Bush ducked to avoid being hit and Zaidi was bundled to the ground by guards.
During today's proceedings, Zaidi walked to the wooden pen in which defendants are kept and greeted the panel of three judges with a nod and a wave. He was dressed in a faded beige suit and though noticeably thinner than in his first court appearance he appeared fit and well.
The presiding judge, Abdul-Amir al-Rubaie, asked Zaidi whether he was innocent or guilty. "I am innocent," Zaidi said. "What I did was a natural response to the occupation."
Zaidi, who seemed nervous throughout, began to restate his defense from the first session of the trial, saying that he had not "intended to kill Bush or humiliate him." He explained that when he saw "the occupiers' president" smiling, he "imagined millions of Iraqis killed every moment at Bush's orders." His testimony was then interrupted by the judge, who told him to keep quiet unless he had anything new to say.
See more stories tagged with: nouri al-maliki, george w bush, muntazer al-zaidi, dargham al-zaidi, abdul-amir al-rubaie
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