Iraq shoe-thrower in Greece
2009-09-17 14:08
Athens - The Iraqi journalist jailed for throwing his shoes at former US president George W Bush has arrived in Greece following his release, Iraqi diplomats said on Thursday.
TV reporter Muntazer al-Zaidi went to Greece for medical treatment after suffering torture while in prison, his family said.
He was released on Tuesday after being jailed for one year for launching shoes at Bush on December 14 during a Baghdad press conference.
The embassy said that he had arrived on Wednesday in Greece but it had no contact with him and no further information on his stay.
However his employer, Al-Baghdadia TV station in Baghdad, and a family member said he was in Greece for medical treatment.
Zaidi said he suffered electric shocks and simulated drowning while in custody. A family member said he suffers frequent headaches after being injected with unknown chemicals by jailers.
Zaidi was initially sentenced to three years for assaulting a foreign head of state, but had this reduced to one year on appeal. His sentence was cut further for good behaviour.
- AFP