Saturday, May 26th, 2012

Throw Your Shoes at the Iraqi ‘Justice’ System

By Spencer Ackerman
Monday, December 15, 2008 at 3:44 pm

Abu Aardvark frets that the attention paid to shoe-thrower Muntader al-Zaidi will distract from Human Rights Watch’s brand new report about the kangaroo state of Iraq’s central criminal court. But why? This is chocolate-and-peanut-butter territory. Al-Zaidi is apparently going to be charged with “insulting the Iraqi state.” What sort of criminal-justice system awaits him?

Defendants often endure long periods of pretrial detention without judicial review, and are not able to pursue a meaningful defense or challenge evidence against them. Abuse in detention, typically with the aim of extracting confessions, appears common, thus tainting court proceedings in those cases… [snip]

…the court has failed to provide basic assurances of fairness, undermining the concept of a national justice system serving the rule of law.

Pace George Bush, yeah, that’s right, but so what, right? What’s the big deal about a justice system that keeps people detained without an adequate amount of process to adjudicate their guilt and secure appropriate punishment or exoneration? Or that abuses people once jailed? We got rid of Saddam here, people. Everything else is a detail. Free people are free to call attention to themselves or make mistakes or subject others to indefinite detention. That’s what it means to be honor bound to defend freedom.

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Comments

56 Comments

Stopthepresses
Comment posted December 16, 2008 @ 9:09 am

Bush at first jokes about shoe throwing incident, but then angrily fires back at reporters. Read more at, http://stopthepresses2.blogspot.com

Colin
Comment posted December 16, 2008 @ 11:34 am

From what I've heard there is going to be a little punishment, physical, stemming from shoe attack. However, I continue to ask myself what would have happened if that were here in America and Joe Sidewalk decided to chuck his shoes at Bush?

Probably get 5-10 don't you think?

jackmicheal
Comment posted December 25, 2008 @ 7:31 am

throw bush by a shoe game

Consejos de Belleza
Comment posted January 28, 2009 @ 5:47 pm

He should be GIVEN A MEDAL because he just did what the whole world.. except the 21 percent of AmeriKans who think he is the greatest president ever… WANT TO DO.

Consejos de Belleza
Comment posted January 28, 2009 @ 5:48 pm

He should be GIVEN A MEDAL because he just did what the whole world.. except the 21 percent of AmeriKans who think he is the greatest president ever… WANT TO DO.

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Comment posted January 29, 2009 @ 9:08 am

Thanks for the info. May God have mercy on us all.

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Comment posted January 29, 2009 @ 10:24 am

Thanks for the info. May God have mercy on us all.

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Comment posted January 29, 2009 @ 10:26 am

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Comment posted January 29, 2009 @ 10:27 am

Thanks for the info. May God have mercy on us all.

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Comment posted February 13, 2009 @ 12:22 pm

I wish to wish all pregnant women of good mood, easy pregnancy and natural sorts! Good luck also are happy! Give birth easily and independently! Let not doctors give birth for you, and you! Also adjust itself on chest feeding of the kid! Read the necessary information! Be, lovely pregnant mums and expecting posterities of the daddy, are healthy and wise!

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Comment posted February 19, 2009 @ 9:00 am

Stem cells in an organism of the adult person are developed by a bone brain. It is their basic source, but it is far not the unique. Also stem cells are found out and in a fatty fabric, a skin, muscles, a liver, lungs, an eye retina, practically in all bodies and organism fabrics. They provide restoration of the damaged sites of bodies and fabrics.

andresss
Comment posted February 22, 2009 @ 3:35 am

I observed this case on the TV, the guy thrown the boots in Bush most likely will lose the work, and it it is a pity to me, because it protected the honour, Bush has offended its and its country.

And at Bush good reaction, was in time will evade :-)

Summer Internships
Comment posted February 24, 2009 @ 12:17 pm

I hope everything works out ok for him

Politique
Comment posted February 25, 2009 @ 6:38 am

I just love the guy who threw the shoes. It has a very strong symbolics and maybe one day journalists will have to attend nude when with the president… well that would be quite funny! I guess that if Bush intended to walk on Bagdad so easily he did forget about the shoes.

Keep up the good blog, I love it!

Forum voyage
Comment posted February 25, 2009 @ 6:42 am

Did you know that those shoes model are selling pretty well in Irak and in Iran? I find it so funny, if I go there I will get mysleft a pair just for fun.

Fliesen
Comment posted February 26, 2009 @ 8:05 am

Like to buy one of this shoe models, to put them in my shelf.

wii
Comment posted February 26, 2009 @ 10:40 am

Al- zaidi did insult head of a sovereign state. According to middle-eastern tradition it is one of the most uncommon insult thrown at somebody , when they detest somebody so much. ON the other hand iraq might need to show to the american soldiers which are still looking after the law and order in iraq that the man who insulted George Bush will get appropriate punishment , in this case it might be over exaggerated considering their detention, torture and other practices. Those shoes are certainly in high demand in iraq.

Fliesenhandel
Comment posted February 26, 2009 @ 10:51 am

The shoe thrower should be elected the next irak president ;-))

Kuber
Comment posted February 27, 2009 @ 12:51 am

Funny how a normal person insulted the most powerful man in the world. Hope he is not tortured for that now.

kuber
Comment posted February 27, 2009 @ 1:02 am

Pretty funny stuff . I heard people are bidding for his shoes for lots of money.

wii
Comment posted February 27, 2009 @ 1:12 am

Very hilarious stuff.

kuber
Comment posted February 27, 2009 @ 1:12 am

Very funny stuff

games
Comment posted February 27, 2009 @ 1:14 am

Very funny what zaidi did.

wii
Comment posted February 27, 2009 @ 1:17 am

I heard lot of people in middle east are ready to pay a big sum to get their hands on those shoes.

Kuber
Comment posted February 27, 2009 @ 1:22 am

Lot of people want to buy those shoes even if that means splashing out large sum of money. I guess it was a historic moment for iraqi people.

jewelry
Comment posted February 27, 2009 @ 1:24 am

Lot of people want to buy those shoes even if that means splashing out large sum of money. I guess it was a historic moment for iraqi people.

jewelry
Comment posted February 27, 2009 @ 1:25 am

Lot of people want to buy those shoes even if that means splashing out large sum of money. I guess it was a historic moment for iraqi people.

shopping
Comment posted February 27, 2009 @ 1:31 am

I agree it was a historic moment for the iraqi people after the way they were killed first by saddam husein and then bush.

shopping
Comment posted February 27, 2009 @ 1:53 am