Shoe-thrower’s trial postponed until March 13

raq-Zaydi BAGHDAD / IraqiNews.com: The trial of famous Muntather al-Zaydi, a local TV reporter who threw a pair of shoes at U.S. President George W. Bush at a press conference in Baghdad last November, was postponed till March 13, his sister said on Thursday. “The judge decided to adjourn the trial until March 13 as the central court decided to question the council of minister’s secretariat general about the legality and officiality of Bush’s visit to Iraq,” Umm Hanaa told IraqiNews.com news agency. She expressed concern about the fate of her brother and the details of the trial as security forces prevented those who attended the trial, including some members of her family, from making any phone calls. “I could not phone any of my family members who attended the session as the forces took all their cell phones,” she explained. “I followed al-Boghdadiya channel and knew about the postponement decision,” she added. Zaydi, 29, has worked for al-Boghdadiya since its establishment in the wake of the U.S. invasion of Iraq in 2003. He was kidnapped late last year by unidentified gunmen while stepping out of his home in al-Bab al-Sharqi area, central Baghdad. Four days later he was found lying on the ground near auto selling stores in al-Nahda square, Baghdad, at a late night hour. 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. To Iraqis, the incident represented a major insult to the U.S. president. SH (S)/SR 1