Mr. Al-Zeidi "revealed the name of the person who instigated this act". Then Al-Maliki stated that "this person is a well known murderer who is linked to beheading people".
Agence France Presse carries the most complete account of Al Zaida’s injuries based on the statement of his brother who was allowed to see him in return for a pledge that the family would stop speaking to journalists. Uday said that his brother’s condition led him to breach that agreement and reported:
that the journalist had been tortured by his captors to force him to sign a statement.
"I met my brother for around an hour. He has been tortured while in detention for 36 hours continuously. He has been hit with iron rods and cables," the brother said.
"There is very severe bleeding in his eye, and he has bruises on his feet and nose, and he was also tortured with electric shocks.
"He was forced to sign a statement confessing to receiving money from different groups and saying that he did not throw his shoes for the honour of Iraq," Uday said.
"But Muntazer said I will not apologise for what I did — not now, not ever."
This report matches several others that mentioned severe damage to Al Zaida’s eye amongst other injuries.
Along with the physical abuse, Green Zone thugs also forced him to watch:
a television channel run by Sunni extremists loyal to Saddam Hussein and told him that was the only news outlet in the world that was applauding his act, Oday al-Zaidi said Monday, a day after he was allowed to visit his brother.
"They told him, ‘Your tribe and your family reject you."
Al Zaida is scheduled to go to trial next week – but his attorney’s request to have the case moved out of the court which handles terrorism charges was rejected and the charges could lead to 15 years in jail.
Raed in the Middle is asking people to write the International Red Cross to make a site visit to determine’s Al Zaida’s condition – a request also repeated by the family. You can help by doing the same – email the ICRC using these contacts:Mr Hisham Hassan at iraq.iqs@icrc.org and Ms. Dorothea Krimitsas at dkrimitsas.gva@icrc.org
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well, it’s only “iron rods and cables”. he’s lucky to be alive.
Our military training on exhibition
Siun, thanks for keeping on this story. I really feel for the guy.
Maliki really is an idiot. No wonder he wants US troops there indefinitely.
Thank you Siun. Folks, please get those emails flying out–for people to make an effort at this point in the calendar is a real message.
Yeah, we’re supposed to be cheering because the shoe thrower got out of the room alive. What’s 15 years in jail.
Aloha, Siun and Laura, I was just reading LadyBird’s update…
It seems to explain why no pictures of him have surfaced since the incident happened…! 8-(
Well let’s hope they kept their hands off his ‘junk’. If it was US torture, there would be stories of vice-grips and toddler testicle torture involved.
Let’s prosecute our own war criminals first. I’ll bet this Iraqi guy will be just fine when we leave and they overthrow Maliki.
In the meantime, war crimes trials for admitted torturers. Do it for the protection of young testicles worldwide. Do it for the CHILDREN.
Jesus Loves the little children. ALL the children of the world. Red and yellow, black and white, they are PRECIOUS in his sight….
Enjoy.
If George Bush were a man, he would intervene and ensure the man’s well-being.
But George Bush is a monster. And I hate how powerless his presidency has made me.
What a bunch of assholes. The entire world is watching what happens to this man. He did do something which was an assault and should be charged and tried and sentenced. But the torture is so stupid. All it does is show what a bunch of thugs these guys are and all they do is alienate more and more people.
The discussion following my letter to the Mpls Star Tribune on this topic was distressingly predictable. Authoritarian wingnuts, enamored of the myth of Saddam Hussein, lamented the fact that al Zaidi was not immediately murdered in the hallway outside of the press conference “as Saddam Hussein would have done.” Also, since that time the media has dropped the story, as the torture of al Zaidi doesn’t fit the propaganda goals of the corporate Right.
If Mr. al Zaidi is not to spend the next decade in an Iraqi prison it is up to us to keep this story alive so that President Obama and Secretary of State Clinton can intervene on his behalf after they take office.
So…if you’re very busy, please feel free to cut and paste the letter I sent to the IRCC (yes, I am shamelessly
askingbegging again for letters):Dear Mr. Hassan and Ms Krimitsas:
I write to add my voice to those requesting that the International Committee of the Red Cross please conduct a site visit to assess the safety and condition of Montather al-Zaidi. Reports are coming that Mr. al-Zaidi, who last week threw his shoes at President Bush, has been tortured by Iraqi security forces. Mr. al Zaidi’s brother, Uday, told al Baghdadia that his brother “was tortured with electric shock after being stripped naked, and that he was continuously humiliated and tortured throughout the period of detention, and that he had bruises all over his face and body, and that members of the Iraqi security forces disfigured his face through beatings and cigarette burns.”
I hope that your organization will be able to investigate this matter, and help protect Mr. al Zaidi.
Thank you very much for all you do.
Okay this is just NKVD troika justice. Name three people to execute or we will execute you. I don’t believe Al-Maliki.
The man just threw a shoe at Chimpie. The punishment he’s receiving is insanely disproportionate to the “crime”— which I think was actually free speech.
Phoenix Woman has a new post upstairs
Thank you very much for all you do.
Ditto to ya and Done, Laura! I sure do admire your grit and determination…! *g*
If only I’d waited a few more moments…..
Your letter is so much more eloquent than the ones I wrote to each of the Red Cross people.
Anyway, I sure hope it helps. The man certainly doesn’t deserve this.
From my perspective, he’s an Iraqi hero, protesting the disfigurement and destruction of his country.
This is just fucking great. It’s too bad the Democrats have been huge pussies in standing up to Republicans all these years. Oh, wait, my bad. The Democrats have been in on the crimes the entire time. They were fully aware of the illegal wiretapping.
I would bet my life some of the Democratic Congressional leaders also knew about some of the torture all along. Hell, I did. It’s common sense that the dirtiest government on the planet would torture people and lie to the public about it.
If it weren’t so sad seeing all the people who believe our government represents the will of the people, then it would be funny. This is the post democratic United States. By the time it’s difficult to get out at the borders it will be too late to change anything.
Thank God I’m old. It would hurt to see the country I love disappear completely. At least Obama does seem to have a conscience. It’s still possible to hope.
Merry Christmas to you all.
Say a prayer for the men being tortured.
It’s far more insidious than 9/11.
I agree, LD, Jane Harman, DiFi, Jello Jay, Pelosi, Reid, amongst others, are all complicit war criminals…!
THANK YOU, CT and Greenwarrior–and all others who wrote! And special thanks to those who sent the address on to others….!
Thank you. Any chance of a petition of support to his lawyers? Not much different from throwing tomatoes at Rove’s limo in my mind. So much for bringing democracy to Iraq. Heckuvajob.
The Hill briefed on water boarding in 2002. Pelosi, Harman, Graham, and Rockefeller were given a virtual tour for one hour. On the Republican side; Goss and Roberts were present. On video these creeps saw in real time the torture that was being done and did not try to stop it. They were compromised in everything from that day forth. They are war criminals who will not impeach Bush/Cheney because they are complicit.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/…..64_pf.html
Graham was also involved in the Senate Select Committee where the information discussed showed foreign governments were involved in 911. The information is now sealed from the American citizens. All the members of this committee in 2002, are traitors to the US. Their silence has allowed Bush to act with impunity in all areas. Here is the list of committee members in 2002; the holders of the truth of 911.
http://intelligence.senate.gov…..gress.html
Graham’s comments about 911 are here.
http://www.historycommons.org/…..bob_graham
It is of interest that on Sept 11/01, Graham, Kyl, and Goss were meeting with the ISI Director Lt. Mahmood Ahmed. They had met with Mushrraf two weeks previously, in Pakistan to discuss terrorism. Mahmood Ahmed is thought to have wired $100,000 to one of the hijackers. Information on Mahmood Ahmed is here:
http://www.historycommons.org/…..mood_ahmed
Merry Christmas to you. Never give up!
Thanks Siun for dealing with this mentally. Peace.
We should all be comforted to know that the U.S. occupation hasn’t wiped out Assyria’s 4,000-year tradition of torture.