Is shoe chucker too badly hurt to appear in court?

Baghdad: The Iraqi journalist who threw his shoes at US president George Bush appeared before a judge on Wednesday but in his jail cell, his brother said, alleging the reporter must have been too seriously injured to appear in a courtroom.

The family of Muntazer al-Zaidi went to the Central Criminal Court to attend a hearing, brother Dhargham said. He added they were told the investigative judge went to see him in jail and that they should return in eight days.

“That means my brother was severely beaten and they fear that his appearance could trigger anger at the court,” he added.

Iraqi officials and another brother have denied that the journalist suffered severe injuries after he was wrestled to the floor following the shoethrowing incident during a press conference by Bush in Baghdad on Sunday.

Al-Zaidi was held for allegedly insulting a foreign leader, a charge that carries a maximum of two years in prison. Under the Iraqi legal system, the case is given to a judge who investigates the allegation, weighs the evidence and recommends whether to order a trial.

The process can take months, and it is normal for initial hearings to be conducted informally rather than in a formalized setting common in US and British courts.

About 1,500 demonstrators took to the streets on Wednesday in the Baghdad Sunni neighborhood of Azamiyah to demand his release.

Chaos in Iraq House over boot-tossing, Speaker may resign

Iraq’s parliament speaker says he’s resigning after legislators argued about the journalist who threw his shoes at President George Bush. Iraq’s parliament erupted into chaos on Wednesday as lawmakers argued over whether the journalist should be freed from jail. An official in the speaker’s office says he is unsure about the seriousness of Mahmoud al-Mashhadani’s announcement, but says it may have made because he was nervous. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to talk to the media. AP
Source:-The Times of India Delhi 18 December 2008 P. 20

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