Iraq Diary-II

<b>Shoe-thrower on trial</b><br><br> Muntedar Zaidi, the Iraqi journalist who had acquired world wide fame for having thrown shoes at US President George Bush, will be put on trial from Wednesday. The Iraqi government had been at pains to deny reports of his torture while in detention. The government has been under tremendous pressure from the public and journalists for his speedy release. <br><br> The shoes throwing incident had become a hotly debated topic all over the world but in Iraq, the public, supportive of the journalist, has accused the government of torturing him in custody. The Iraqi Law Minister has denied these allegations. <br><br> “Accusations of beating up Zaidi in custody are groundless. He is quite well. He has been kept in good condition, as per the Prime Minister’s orders,” says Saaf- al- Deen Safi Ali, the Minister of Justice. <br><br> The journalists serving in Iraq, on the other hand, are of the view that though it is necessary to raise voice against American excesses, Zaidi should have found another way of expressing his anger. <br><br> “The Iraqis have suffered a lot because of America. The Iraqis believe that the US has occupied their territory. Zaidi’s action was the outcome of frustration and anger arising from this. But as a journalist he had other means available to express his views,” says Samar Al-Ali, journalist for Alfayhaa TV. <br><br> If the trial finds him guilty of assaulting a foreign leader, he could get a sentence of anything between 5-15 years.