Shoe-Thrower Catches a Break

Muntadhar al-Zaidi became an instant hero to many when he flung his shoes at George W. Bush, but he was soon sentenced to three years in prison. That penalty has now been commuted to one year, including time served. It still seems a bit steep, considering that he didn’t even make contact and Bush himself dismissed the incident as democracy in action.

CNN:

Iraq’s Central Criminal Court sentenced al-Zaidi to three years in March after he was found guilty of assaulting a foreign head of state on an official visit to Iraq. It was Bush’s last visit to Baghdad before leaving office in January.

Judge Abdul Sattar al-Beeraqdar, spokesman for Iraq’s Higher Judicial Council, said the court reduced al-Zaidi’s sentence because he is young and had no previous criminal record.

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Flickr / keeponilluminating9_11

A bronze statue of a shoe was made to honor the event.