٠٠:٠٩:١٥Iraq: 'He was even scared so I don't think his smile was normal' - Journo recalls throwing shoes at Bush in run-up to Iraq war anniversary
Iraqi journalist Muntadhar al-Zaidi, who threw his shoes at former US President George W. Bush during a press conference in Baghdad in 2008, gave an interview to Ruptly from the Iraqi capital in the run-up to the twentieth anniversary of the US military intervention on Iraq.
The reporter served time in jail for assaulting a foreign leader, after throwing his shoes at Bush while he shouted “This is a farewell kiss from the Iraqi people, you dog!”. The former US leader ducked twice fast enough, as the shoes flew over his head and hit the wall behind him.
Al-Zaidi explained how, during his trial, he told the judge "you can do with me whatever you want, or you did all you could to me, but I want my shoes back,” but he was told that “the shoes had been destroyed for fear of containing explosives.” Later, an army commander who claimed to work as a security guard for the president told him that the shoes were destroyed “so that it would not turn into a symbol,” according to al-Zaidi.
In Arab culture, throwing footwear at someone is perceived as an insult for the intended target.
The 39-year-old journalist became a hero for millions of people who stood against the American occupation of the country, although the incident turned into a nightmare for him, after he was subdued and reportedly tortured by the Iraqi security forces. George W. Bush administration declined to comment on the allegations when al-Zaidi was released.
“I do not think anyone could get out of such an experience without traces and some bad memories, for example, your night resembles your day and all days are the same. It is a crucial part of torture, the psychological torture was more important than the physical“, said al-Zaidi. “However, what I've been exposed to may be less than what others have been exposed to in Iraqi detention facilities after the invasion,” he added.
Large protests took place across Iraq and other Arab countries demanding his release. In 2009 al-Zaidi was sentenced to three years in jail for assaulting Bush. His time in prison was reduced later to one year and he was eventually released for good behaviour after serving nine months, although he was forced into exile.
In 2011, Al-Zaidi set up a non-profit group to help the child victims of the US-led occupation to live in security. “Since 2009, I had the idea of establishing an organisation in Geneva to provide relief to the victims of the occupation and hold Iraqi killers accountable”, stated the journalist, adding that he “returned to Iraq trying my best, which was my dream, to collect all Iraqis signatures who were affected by the invasion in order to file a lawsuit against the US president and his assistant team.”
On March 19, 2003, Washington, along with coalition forces, launched a military offensive on Iraq that toppled Saddam Hussein under the pretext of disarming Iraq’s presumed weapons of mass destruction, plunging Iraq into bloodshed and chaos, resulting in the violent deaths of around 200,000 civilians, according to the Iraq Body Count project, although there are other estimations that increase or decrease this figure.
This was preceded by a series of developments that eventually led to the US deploying its army on the Arab country. On January 28, George Bush addressed the nation making it clear that that the US military campaign to topple Saddam Hussein was only a matter of time.
“Who dares to hold America accountable? The UN Security Council cannot, the United Nations are so weak to play its real role, even the European Union, which America views as a poor old man on the verge of falling. Who dares to hold America accountable?”, asked Al-Zaidi.
The US officially withdrew its troops from Iraq by December 2011, but thousands remained as part of security operations or serving as private military contractors. The aftermath of the intervention in the country triggered widespread violence and was linked to the rise of the Islamic State (IS).
٠٠:٠٩:١٥Iraqi journalist Muntadhar al-Zaidi, who threw his shoes at former US President George W. Bush during a press conference in Baghdad in 2008, gave an interview to Ruptly from the Iraqi capital in the run-up to the twentieth anniversary of the US military intervention on Iraq.
The reporter served time in jail for assaulting a foreign leader, after throwing his shoes at Bush while he shouted “This is a farewell kiss from the Iraqi people, you dog!”. The former US leader ducked twice fast enough, as the shoes flew over his head and hit the wall behind him.
Al-Zaidi explained how, during his trial, he told the judge "you can do with me whatever you want, or you did all you could to me, but I want my shoes back,” but he was told that “the shoes had been destroyed for fear of containing explosives.” Later, an army commander who claimed to work as a security guard for the president told him that the shoes were destroyed “so that it would not turn into a symbol,” according to al-Zaidi.
In Arab culture, throwing footwear at someone is perceived as an insult for the intended target.
The 39-year-old journalist became a hero for millions of people who stood against the American occupation of the country, although the incident turned into a nightmare for him, after he was subdued and reportedly tortured by the Iraqi security forces. George W. Bush administration declined to comment on the allegations when al-Zaidi was released.
“I do not think anyone could get out of such an experience without traces and some bad memories, for example, your night resembles your day and all days are the same. It is a crucial part of torture, the psychological torture was more important than the physical“, said al-Zaidi. “However, what I've been exposed to may be less than what others have been exposed to in Iraqi detention facilities after the invasion,” he added.
Large protests took place across Iraq and other Arab countries demanding his release. In 2009 al-Zaidi was sentenced to three years in jail for assaulting Bush. His time in prison was reduced later to one year and he was eventually released for good behaviour after serving nine months, although he was forced into exile.
In 2011, Al-Zaidi set up a non-profit group to help the child victims of the US-led occupation to live in security. “Since 2009, I had the idea of establishing an organisation in Geneva to provide relief to the victims of the occupation and hold Iraqi killers accountable”, stated the journalist, adding that he “returned to Iraq trying my best, which was my dream, to collect all Iraqis signatures who were affected by the invasion in order to file a lawsuit against the US president and his assistant team.”
On March 19, 2003, Washington, along with coalition forces, launched a military offensive on Iraq that toppled Saddam Hussein under the pretext of disarming Iraq’s presumed weapons of mass destruction, plunging Iraq into bloodshed and chaos, resulting in the violent deaths of around 200,000 civilians, according to the Iraq Body Count project, although there are other estimations that increase or decrease this figure.
This was preceded by a series of developments that eventually led to the US deploying its army on the Arab country. On January 28, George Bush addressed the nation making it clear that that the US military campaign to topple Saddam Hussein was only a matter of time.
“Who dares to hold America accountable? The UN Security Council cannot, the United Nations are so weak to play its real role, even the European Union, which America views as a poor old man on the verge of falling. Who dares to hold America accountable?”, asked Al-Zaidi.
The US officially withdrew its troops from Iraq by December 2011, but thousands remained as part of security operations or serving as private military contractors. The aftermath of the intervention in the country triggered widespread violence and was linked to the rise of the Islamic State (IS).