Iraqi "shoe thrower" Muntadhar al-Zeidi to seek Swiss asylum, says his lawyer
Iraq's Central Criminal Court has decided to postpone the trial of Iraqi journalist Muntazer al-Zaidi who won global fame for throwing his shoes at US President George W. Bush, a court spokesman has said.
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Iraqi shoe thrower to seek Swiss asylum: lawyer
GENEVA – A Swiss lawyer working on behalf of the Iraqi journalist who threw shoes at U.S. President George W. Bush says his client will seek political asylum in Switzerland.
Geneva-based lawyer Mauro Poggia says Muntadhar al-Zeidi's life is in danger in Iraq.
Al-Zeidi is currently in an Iraqi jail awaiting trial on charges of assaulting a foreign leader for his Dec. 14 outburst at a news conference in Baghdad.
Poggia says he was contacted by al-Zeidi's family earlier this month. He says the journalist has been beaten and tortured in Iraqi detention.
Poggia told The Associated Press on Monday that al-Zeidi would have to go to the Swiss Embassy in Baghdad once he is released to formally file the asylum request.
Article: HERE
US First Lady Laura Bush, pictured here in September 2008, said Sunday she was "not amused" when an Iraqi journalist hurled his shoes at US President George W. Bush during a surprise trip to Baghdad earlier this month.
(AFP/File/Saul Loeb)
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