The Iraqi journalist was kidnapped in November and then released. He is known for his reports against the occupation in TV station which broacasts from Egypt. It is owned by Iraqis who are against the occupation. He is a Shiite and was very upset from the statue of Saddam being hit by shoes under the American ocupation, and he by this action retliates to that. It is very funny and sad for the Americans when they will know that Bush attended a meeting in Afganistan after this shoes event. All those who were present were asked to take their shoes off. S1000+ http://www.brussels tribunal. org/Al-Zaidi. htm Statement and appeal of the BRussells Tribunal, 15 December 2008.
Bush claims victory, he gets shoes Demand for the immediate release of Muntather Al-Zaidi In one magnificent act, Muntather Al-Zaidi, an Iraqi journalist with Al-Baghdadiya television, epitomized the truth of the defeat of the United States in Iraq and lifted the spirit of resistance within the hearts of all Arabs, matching that of the Iraqi people who continue to resist imperialism and colonialism and who refuse humiliation. It is Bush who is humiliated, and from it he cannot recover. He had snuck into Iraq, unannounced, to sign an illegal treaty with his puppet stooge aimed at institutionalizing the US occupation. Two flying shoes destroyed the façade upon which he and his cronies claim victory in Iraq. For the orphans and widows The greatest expression of contempt in Arab culture is wielding a shoe to an adversary. Bush and his criminal cronies deserve contempt. Bush claims not to know what Al-Zaidi’s “cause” is. Al-Zaidi made it clear: the shoes he threw at Bush were for the orphans and widows of Bush’s imperial war that to date has killed more than 1.2 million Iraqis and displaced six million more. The shoes were thrown equally in the direction of Bush’s local puppets — proof that no government under occupation can be legitimate or gain legitimacy, that resistance expresses the sovereignty of the Iraqi people, exposing the Bush-Maliki agreement as worthless and devoid of legality. Two flying shoes expressed the paradise that is resistance in comparison to the ignominy of submission. Iraq is unbreakable, its people proven proud and invincible. Al-Zaidi needs protection Following five and a half years of relentless destruction and killing, it is clear that Muntather Al-Zaidi, in daring to challenge the imperial United States, took a step into that grey zone between the human right to life and the permanent threat of death wielded by imperialism. Given the Maliki government’s eagerness in summarily executing its political opponents — including their lawyers — and as he is reportedly in the direct custody of Maliki’s own security guards, we have firm reason to believe that Al-Zaidi is in immediate danger of being tortured and/or assassinated. We remind all that Muntather Al-Zaidi is a protected person under international humanitarian law, which governs the US occupation, and has guaranteed rights under international human rights law.[1] International humanitarian and human rights law outlaws torture and summary execution, incommunicado detention, the ill treatment of detainees, or denial of access to legal counsel. The US occupation is directly responsible for Al-Zaidi’s welfare and must guarantee his security. As a journalist, he must be afforded extra protection. Appeal for action Following Al-Zaidi’s action, thousands have taken to the street in his support and countless statements are being written in his defence. We salute his courage, demand to know his exact location, and join millions in demanding his immediate release. We join all patriotic Arabs and the Iraqi people who today celebrate their dignity, visually announced and reaffirmed in the public humiliation of a disgraced American president. We call upon all human rights organizations and bodies, including responsible organs of the United Nations, along with journalists’ syndicates and associations, to defend the right to security and life of Muntather Al-Zaidi and work to ensure his immediate release. The BRussells Tribunal Committee 15 December 2008 Please circulate this appeal widely. Bush gets shoes: http://www.youtube. com/v/OM3Z_ Kskl_U ===================== >From Times Online December 16, 2008 Journalist who threw shoes at Bush, Muntazer al-Zaidi, 'has broken arm and ribs' An Iraqi journalist who was filmed throwing his shoes at President Bush appeared in court today and confessed to the attack. Muntazer al-Zaidi rose to fame on Sunday when he threw his footwear at the president during a Baghdad press conference, missing narrowly, in apparent protest at the actions of US troops over the past few years. “Al-Zaidi was brought today before the investigating judge in the presence of a defence lawyer and a prosecutor,” said Abdul Satar Birqadr, a spokesman for Iraq’s High Judicial Council. “He admits the action he carried out.” The journalist may have become a hero to millions of Iraqis but the “shoe man” has had to spend a second night in detention, during which he nursed a broken arm and ribs as well as cuts to his face, according to his brother. His sibling, Durgham al-Zaidi, said he was told that Mr al-Zaidi is being held by Iraqi forces in the heavily fortified Green Zone compound in central Baghdad, where the US embassy and most government offices are housed. “He has got a broken arm and ribs and cuts to his eye and arm,” he said. “He is being held by forces under the command of Muwafaq al-Rubaie [Iraq’s national security adviser]." Television pictures from the press conference show Mr al-Zaidi being carried away by prime ministerial guards but there was no sign of excessive violence. Thousands of Iraqis, both Sunni and Shia, took part in a second day of street protests today demanding Mr Zaidi’s release and hailing him a national hero. In Mosul, Iraq’s third largest city, north of Baghdad, an estimated 1,000 protesters carried banners and chanted slogans in his support. Several hundred more also protested in Nasiriyah, a Shia city about 200 miles southeast of Baghdad, and in Fallujah, a Sunni area west of the capital. “Muntazer al-Zaidi has expressed the feelings and ambitions of the Iraqi people toward the symbol of tyranny,” said Nassar Afrawi, a protester in Nasiriyah. In Baghdad, the head of the Iraqi Union of Journalists described Mr al-Zaidi’s action as “strange and unprofessional” but urged Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki to give him clemency. “Even if he has committed a mistake, the Government and the judiciary are broad-minded and we hope they consider his release because he has a family and he is still young,” Mouyyad al-Lami said. “We hope this case ends before going to court.” Mr al-Zaidi’s action is a personal embarrassment to the Iraqi Prime Minister, who was next to Mr Bush at the press conference. But, given that 2009 is an election in Iraq, Mr al-Zaidi’s popularity is likely to save him from a long prison sentence. In one example of Mr al-Zaidi’s status, a geography teacher at a Baghdad elementary school asked her students if they had seen the footage of the shoe-throwing. “All Iraqis should be proud of this Iraqi brave man, Muntazer. History will remember him for ever,” she said. Mr al-Zaidi’s action also won him widespread plaudits in the wider Arab world. Lebanese television channel NTV, known for its opposition to Washington, went as far as offering a job to the journalist. In its evening news bulletin on Monday, it said that if he takes the job he will be paid “from the moment the first shoe was thrown”. Frrom The Times - UK: A reader said: So Iraq does have Weapons of Media Diversion after all. The worrying thing is that with a population of 28 million (albeit in decline since 2003), Iraq is estimated to have an arsenal of at least 56 million of these missiles. Be afraid, be very afraid. Dan, Wimbledon, England http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/iraq/article5352043.ece ========================================= Iraqi reporter throws shoes at BushReuters | Monday, 15 December 2008 Email a Friend | Printable View | Have Your Say Reuters DUCK DOWN: US President George W Bush had to take evasive action when a disgruntled reporter threw his shoes at the him during a press conference. Related Links Advertisement An Iraqi reporter has called visiting US President George W Bush a "dog" in Arabic and threw his shoes at him during a news conference in Baghdad. PS/ While throwing the second shoe he shouted that that was from the orphans and widows of Iraq caused by the war - S1000+ http://www.stuff.co.nz/thepress/4793365a6428.html ======= S1000+ ======= ======= S1000+ ======= --- On Tue, 12/16/08, Sumerian.. <[email protected]> wrote: --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "World-thread" group. To post to this group, send email to [email protected] To unsubscribe from this group, send email to [email protected] For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/world-thread?hl=en -~----------~----~----~----~------~----~------~--~---
