Iraqi Shoe-Thrower Was Beaten, Shoe Sales Soar

by Rob Walker | December 19, 2008 at 12:23 pm

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The Iraqi judge investigating the shoe-throwing attack says the man showed signs of having been beaten. Iraqi officials say they will be investigating the incident and examing the tapes of his arrest.

The family of Muntazer al-Zaida gathered outside the prison he is being held to ask for his immediate release. At least thirty of his relatives staged a rally heavily fortified 'Green Zone'. His family claims al-Zaida was beaten in custody and pressured into writing a letter of apology.

"We came to ask for his release," said Umm Saad, one of Zaidi's three sisters.
His brother Uday accused the government of pressuring Zaidi into writing a letter of apology to Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki.

The judge, who saw Muntader al-Zaidi this week, said the journalist had bruises on his face and about his eyes.
He said Mr Zaidi was beaten while still at the news conference, in the immediate aftermath of the incident.

The court is investigating the beating and officials will watch recordings of the incident, he added.

A spokesman for the Iraqi government says that Muntazer al-Zaida will not receive any special treatment, despite asking for a pardon in a letter earlier this week.

Meanwhile a spokesman for the Iraqi government confirmed on Friday that shoe-throwing Iraqi journalist Montazer al-Zaidi will be given no special treatment despite a Thursday appeal for a pardon.

The 29-year-old journalist, who faces up to seven years in prison for assault, has already received one marriage proposal, and today got another which included a dowry and money for his legal defence:

There’s no news on whether or not journalist Muntadhar al-Zeidi, the angry Iraqi who launched a ’shoe intifada’ against George W. Bush, will accept a proposal of marriage from Amal Saad Gumaa, the daughter of Saad Gumaa, one of his admirers.
And while we wait, someone else has made a similar offer.

The shoe itself has shot to stardom, with almost 300,000 orders sent in since the infamous shoe-throwing. The Turkish-made 'Model 271' may soon be renamed 'the bush shoe'.

"Baydan has received orders for 300,000 pairs of the shoes since the attack, more than four times the number his company sold each year since the model was introduced in 1999. The company plans to employ 100 more staff to meet demand, he said...'We’ve been selling these shoes for years but, thanks to Bush, orders are flying in like crazy,' " Baydan said. " 'We’ve even hired an agency to look at television advertising.' "