An Iraqi court on Monday ordered the release from jail of a reporter who attained world-wide fame when he hurled his shoes at then US President George W. Bush last December, his lawyer said. Once an obscure TV reporter, Muntazer al-Zaidi had been expected to walk free on Monday, but a judge asked for additional documents before ordering his release.
Under Iraqi penal procedures, freed prisoners can only leave prison a day after a court ruling, so Zaidi will go home on Tuesday. Millions of people across the world saw online or TV footage of Zaidi throwing his shoes at Bush and calling him a "dog," both grave insults in the Middle East. Zaidi's actions towards Bush during a news conference summed up the feelings of many Iraqis towards the former US leader after the bloodshed and sectarian killing triggered by the US-led invasion in 2003.
While many Iraqis were grateful Sunni dictator Saddam Hussein was ousted, some dark chapters in the US occupation, such as the sexual humiliation of Iraqi prisoners at Abu Ghraib prison, fuelled broad resentment. Zaidi was sentenced to three years in jail for assaulting a visiting head of state, but his sentence was later reduced to one year. Zaidi's lawyer Dhiaa al-Saadi said the court signed the order for his release on Monday.
"Journalist Muntazer al-Zaidi will have his freedom from tomorrow, according to a decision by the concerned court," he said. Zaidi served three quarters of his sentence without incurring any behavioural violations, so was automatically granted early release under Iraqi law.
Venezuela's anti-American President Hugo Chavez called him courageous; a Libyan group headed by Muammar Gaddafi's daughter gave him an award; and fathers from other Arab nations have offered Muntazer their daughters as brides. He is likely to get a celebrity welcome and numerous job offers in the Arab media when he gets out.
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