Iraqi Shoe-Thrower Faces Judge; Tensions High

Muntader al-Zaidi, the 29-year old journalist arrested for throwing his shoes at President Bush this weekend, faced an Iraqi judge today. Via Siun at Firedoglake (where, full disclosure, my personal blog is hosted), al-Zaidi’s brother says he was too injured from an apparent beating during either his apprehension or his detention to appear in court. McClatchy reports that al-Zaidi will face charges of attacking a foreign head of state.

Meanwhile, subscription-only IraqSlogger adds that a media rights group called the Journalistic Freedoms Observatory has called for al-Zaidi to receive “amnesty,” citing “the prevalent tensions” in Iraq. By that they mean that Iraqis are still on the streets protesting al-Zaidi’s detention. McClatchy adds that some demonstrations have turned ugly. From Fallujah:

Students raised their shoes and threw rocks at American soldiers, who reportedly opened fire above the crowd. Protesters said that indirect fire wounded one student, Zaid Salih. U.S. forces haven’t confirmed the account.

“We demonstrated to express our support for Muntathar al Zaidi, but we were surprised with the entrance of the U.S. military,” said Ahmed Ismail, one of the protesters. “Unconsciously, we raised our shoes expressing our support for al Zaidi, but they attacked us.”