Muntadhar al-Zaidi

For other uses of "al-Zaida", see Zaidi (disambiguation).

Muntadhar al-Zaidi
منتظر الزيدي
al-Zaidi in 2020
Born (1979-01-15) 15 January 1979 (age 45)
Baghdad, Iraq
EducationUniversity of Baghdad
Communications
OccupationBroadcast journalist
Known forGeorge W. Bush shoeing incident
Notable creditFreelance
Political partyAlliance Towards Reforms (dissolved 2021)

Muntadhar al-Zaidi (Arabic: منتظر الزيدي Muntaẓar az-Zaydī; born 15 January 1979)[a] is an Iraqi broadcast journalist who served as a correspondent for Iraqi-owned, Egyptian-based Al-Baghdadia TV. As of February 2011, al-Zaidi works with a Lebanese TV channel.[1]

On 16 November 2007, al-Zaidi was kidnapped by unknown assailants in Baghdad.[2] He was also previously twice arrested by the United States Armed Forces.[3] On 14 December 2008, al-Zaidi threw his shoes at U.S. President George W. Bush during a Baghdad press conference while shouting, "This is a farewell kiss from the Iraqi people, you dog." Al-Zaidi suffered injuries as he was taken into custody and some sources said that he was tortured during his initial detention.[4][5] There were calls throughout the Middle East to place the shoes in an Iraqi museum,[6] but the shoes were later destroyed by U.S. and Iraqi security forces.[7][8] Al-Zaidi's shoeing inspired many similar incidents of political protest around the world.[9]

Following the incident, al-Zaidi was represented by the head of the Iraqi Bar Association at his trial.[10] On 20 February 2009, al-Zaidi received a 90-minute trial by the Central Criminal Court of Iraq.[11] On 12 March 2009, he was sentenced to three years in prison for assaulting a foreign head of state during an official visit. On 7 April, the sentence was reduced to one year.[12] He was released on 15 September 2009 for good behavior after spending nine months in jail.[13][14] After his release, Al-Zaidi was treated for injuries received in prison and later said he planned to "build orphanages, a children's hospital, and medical and orthopaedic centres offering free treatment and manned by Iraqi doctors and medical staff."[15]


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  1. ^ Banerjee, Debesh (9 February 2011). "Bush shoe-thrower may get Delhi invite to watch himself on stage". Indian Express. Retrieved 30 December 2011.
  2. ^ Cite error: The named reference kidnapping was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  3. ^ Cite error: The named reference AFP081216 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  4. ^ "Bush shoe-thrower 'tortured'". Al Jazeera. 17 December 2008. Retrieved 30 December 2011.
  5. ^ Cite error: The named reference R000119 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  6. ^ Khaled, Abu Toameh (15 December 2008). "Iraqi who threw shoes at Bush hailed as Arab hero". Middle East. Jerusalem Post.
  7. ^ "Iraqi journalist's shoes destroyed, says judge". Dawn.com. 19 December 2008. Retrieved 27 February 2017.
  8. ^ "Iraqi journalist's shoes destroyed after Bush attack". ABC News Australia. 18 December 2008. Retrieved 27 February 2017.
  9. ^ "A shoe-throwing president?". Folha Online. 12 January 2009. Retrieved 20 December 2008.
  10. ^ Cite error: The named reference upi081216 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  11. ^ Cite error: The named reference cs_feb20_trial was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  12. ^ Cite error: The named reference washingtonpost.com was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  13. ^ Cite error: The named reference WapoFreed was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  14. ^ Cite error: The named reference times_freed was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  15. ^ Bradley, Simon (19 October 2009). "Iraqi shoe-thrower launches Geneva-based agency". Swissinfo. Archived from the original on 26 September 2012. Retrieved 19 October 2009.