Al-Zaydi to face public trial on Dec 31 – spokesman

BAGHDAD / IraqiNews.com: The official spokesman for the higher judicial council Judge Abdul Sattar al-Berqadar said on Monday that the trial of Muntadhar al-Zaydi, local TV reporter who threw a pair of shoes at U.S. President George W. Bush at a press conference in Baghdad a few days ago, will be on December 31 and will be public. “All mass media are allowed to attend the trial which will be public at the criminal court on December 31,” al-Berqadar told IraqiNews.com, noting that the government will guarantee a fair trial for the journalist. “He will be sued according to the article 223 of the Iraqi penal code, which is related to the aggression of the head of a foreign state,” he explained. “The court will deal with the case in integrity and transparency,” he concluded. Muntadhar al-Zaydi threw a pair of shoes at U.S. President George Bush during a joint press conference with the Iraqi premier. President Bush quickly ducked when a pair of shoes was hurled at him. Al-Zaydi, a young man of no more than 30 years old, has worked for al-Boghdadiya since its establishment in the wake of the U.S. invasion of Iraq in 2003. He had been kidnapped two years ago by unidentified gunmen while stepping out of his home in al-Bab al-Sharqi area, central Baghdad . A week later he was found lying on the ground near auto selling stores in al-Nahda square, Baghdad , at a late night hour. Al-Zaydi is considered one of the journalists outspokenly criticizing the presence of U.S. forces in Iraq . He had written several reports opposing the U.S. military presence in the country. SH (S)/SR 1