Community | September 15, 2009 | 22 comments

Iraqi shoe thrower says he was tortured in jail

source: http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2009/sep/15/iraqi-shoe-thrower-freed

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bansheewail
The Iraqi journalist who threw his shoes at George Bush has marked his release from jail by angrily defending his action and claiming he was tortured after his arrest.

Muntazer al-Zaidi's supporters and family gave him a rapturous welcome, sacrificing six sheep to mark his release and hanging laurels of flowers around his neck.

Wearing an Iraqi flag, Zaidi gave a detailed account of being tortured after his arrest, and vowed to reveal the names of senior officials in the Iraqi government and army who he said had been involved in his mistreatment.

Appearing with a missing front tooth, he told of beatings, whippings and electric shocks after his arrest. He said he now feared for his life, and believed US intelligence agents would chase after him.

"These fearful services, the US intelligence services and its affiliated services, will spare no efforts to track me as an insurgent revolutionary ... in a bid to kill me," he told the news conference.

"And here I want to warn all my relatives and people close to me that these services will use all means to trap and try to kill and liquidate me either physically, socially or professionally."

The reporter said he was abused immediately after his arrest, and the next day. He said he was beaten with iron bars, whipped with cords and electrocuted in the backyard of the building in the Green Zone.

"In the morning, I was left in the cold weather after they splashed me with water," he said.

He went on to defend his assault on Bush. "Simply put, what incited me toward confrontation is the oppression that fell upon my people and how the occupation wanted to humiliate my homeland by placing it under its boots," he said.
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    Community,   Current Tonight,   Quest For The Truth,   Picked for Current Tonight,   1 more
  2. tags:
    News,  News and Politics,  US Politics,  Torture,  2 more
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22 comments // Iraqi shoe thrower says he was tortured in jail

  • SwiperNoSwiping
  • evilliberalbastard
  • sffsmessiah
    • 0
      sffsmessiah  

    • hey, thats what happens in this FREE SOCIETY.

      I remember bush praising him, saying dissent happens in a free society. i guess so does torture.

      f*ck all presidents everywhere.

    • 2 years ago
  • eden49
  • hunzedog
    • 0
      hunzedog  

    • everybody that goes to jail gets tortured. anybody who believes otherwise has never been to jail ! or they like the sight and smell of naked men.. to me shaving, showering and shitting in front of 50 people is torture...
      especially for just smoking weed.

    • 2 years ago
  • bailey78
    • 0
      bailey78  
    • hunzedog:

      So you had the great joy of staying at the grey bar Inn. What did you get caught with a bag "AKA" 7 grams or did they get you with intent to deliver? I have spent my fare share of time in jail but never once for weed. Always some bullshit Like DWI or hey wait I did go to jail once for a bag of weed they gave me ten days for a half a ounce but the jailer let me out after four days because they needed the bed for a real crimanal at least thats what they told me. The POPO around here are pretty leanient when it comes to weed

    • 2 years ago
  • cmdinc
    • 0
      cmdinc  

    • sacrificed 6 sheep...where's PETA? lol. I f i were he i would be thankful i'm still alive. I wouldn't doubt the SS had his head in their sights during the incident.

    • 2 years ago
  • oh_dear
    • 0
      oh_dear  
    • cmdinc:

      The tradition of animal sacrifice in Islam is the equivalent of thanking God for the blessing...probably the blessing that he is finally out...or even out alive. Usually the meat is divided and given to feed the poor. Therefore, PETA has no place in this. ;)

    • 2 years ago
  • boywhocould
  • Prijedor
  • dreamsenvoy
    • 0
      dreamsenvoy  

    • Approval of release...torture or no,Zaidi exspressed alot of the worlds frustration and pain for the former president with intense courage and dignity

    • 2 years ago
  • Ares
    • 0
      Ares  

    • Of course he's saying he was tortured in jail. I can't believe every single prisoner of the United States, American or not, isn't claiming they were tortured. It's so easy, even a dumbass that throws his shoe can do it!

      The American people are going to soon grow weary of all this slander and accusation of torture. It's this year's sodomizing priests. Sheesh.

    • 2 years ago
  • ennui1812
    • 0
      ennui1812  
    • Ares:

      We won't grow weary of the "accusations" and "slander" nearly so much as the actuality of Bush/Cheney sanctioned torture. Are you bored with hearing about sodomizing priests Ares? What luxury to be bored rather than sodomized (bored!) by the priestly Catholic hypocrites. It is so painfully obvious that many of these men found their jobs to be a socially approved means of access to boy children. What a naive/head buried in sand world we live in.

      When people turn on victims I tend to wonder why. Perhaps you are sympathetic towards torturers and child molesters for a reason?

    • 2 years ago
  • nursediesel
    • 0
      nursediesel  

    • Gee, in that country you throw a shoe at a USA bigwig and your employers build you a 4 bedroom house. Wow!
      So let him name the officials and all the guards that caused him bodily and emotional harm.
      WOnder what would happen to him if he did this to the new President, but of course what ever would happen to him would be sweet. And Pres. Obama would apologize to this man for the USA's angering him in the first place.

    • 2 years ago
  • DreSandoval
  • dreamsenvoy
  • boywhocould
  • samthesixth
    • 0
      samthesixth  

    • Bansheewail,

      I had not considered it from the perspective you raise. I always figured Bush didn't want the guy to become a hero to the people (anymore so than he already was) as it might undermine the Bush agenda.

    • 2 years ago
  • bansheewail
    • 0
      bansheewail  

    • Sam,
      Do you think "W" wanted him on the street so the "affiliated services" would have a clear shot?? Bush is not known for his compassion and forgiveness. Remember, in Texas, he executed more people than any governor in the history of the US.

    • 2 years ago
  • samthesixth
  • WakeUpPeople
  • bansheewail
    • 0
      bansheewail  

    • "These fearful services, the US intelligence services and its affiliated services, will spare no efforts to track me as an insurgent revolutionary ... in a bid to kill me," he told the news conference."

      I wonder who these "affiliated services" are??

      What happened to the Freedom of the Press?? If this guy was a real terrorist, wouldn't he have thrown a "shoe bomb" and "W"????? We know they have the technological capabilities. ;)

    • 2 years ago
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