Iraq rally for Bush shoe attacker

Thousands of Iraqis have demanded the release of a local TV reporter who threw his shoes at US President George W Bush at a Baghdad news conference.

Crowds gathered in Baghdad's Sadr City district, calling for "hero" Muntadar al-Zaidi to be freed from custody.

Officials at the Iraqi-owned TV station, al-Baghdadiya, called for the release of their journalist, saying he was exercising freedom of expression.

Iraqi officials have described the incident as shameful.

A statement released by the government said Mr Zaidi's actions, which also included him shouting insults at President Bush, "harmed the reputation of Iraqi journalists and Iraqi journalism in general".

Correspondents say the protesters are supporters of Shia cleric Moqtada Sadr - a leading critic of the US presence in Iraq. Smaller protests were reported in Basra and Najaf.

The Iraqi government has demanded an on-air apology from his employer.

An Iraqi official was quoted by the Associated Press as saying that the journalist was being interrogated to determine whether anybody paid him to throw his shoes at President Bush.

He was also being tested for alcohol and drugs, and his shoes were being held as evidence, said the official, speaking on condition of anonymity.

The Cairo-based al-Baghdadiya TV channel said Mr Zaidi should be freed because he had been exercising freedom of expression - something which the Americans had promised to Iraqis on the ousting of former Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein.

"Any measures against Muntadar will be considered the acts of a dictatorial regime," the firm said in a statement.

The programming director for al-Baghdadiya, Muzhir al-Khafaji, described the journalist as a "proud Arab and an open-minded man".

He said he was afraid for Mr Zaidi's safety, adding that the reporter had been arrested by US officials twice before.

"We fear that our correspondents in Iraq will be arrested. We have 200 correspondents there," he added.

'Proud Arab'

Mr Zaidi leapt from his chair at Sunday's news conference and hurled first one shoe and then the other at Mr Bush, who was joined at the podium by Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri Maliki.

The shoes missed as Mr Bush ducked, and Mr Zaidi was immediately wrestled to the ground by security guards and frogmarched from the room.

"This is a farewell kiss, you dog," he yelled in Arabic as he threw his shoes. "This is from the widows, the orphans and those who were killed in Iraq."

Arabic TV stations have been repeatedly showing footage of the incident, which was also front-page news in many papers.

Correspondents say the journalist's tirade was echoed by Arabs across the Middle East who are fed up with US policy in the region.

"He [George Bush] deserves to be hit with 100, not just one or two shoes. Who wants him to come here?" said a man in Baghdad.

But his view was not expressed by everyone.

"I think this incident is unnecessary, to be honest. That was a press conference, not a war. If someone wants to express his opinion he should do so in the proper manner, not this way," said another Baghdad resident.

Courts criticised

Also on Monday, Human Rights Watch accused Iraq's main criminal court of failing to meet basic international standards of justice.

The New York-based group said torture and abuse of prisoners before trial appeared common, and legal representation was often ineffectual.

Human Rights Watch said some of the court's failings showed disturbing similarities to those that existed during the Saddam Hussein era.

The group called on Iraq to take immediate steps to protect detainees from torture, and ensure they had access to proper defence and received a prompt hearing.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/7783608.stm

Shoe attack mars Bush's Iraq visit

George Bush, the US president, has had a pair of shoes hurled at him at a press conference during his last surprise visit to Iraq before leaving office in January.

An Iraqi reporter called Bush "a dog" and shouted out "this is the end" at Sunday's news conference in Baghdad, before throwing his shoes at the US leader.

Bush, who had been giving a joint press statement with Nuri Al-Maliki, the Iraqi prime minister, ducked behind a podium as the shoes narrowly missed his head.

He was reported to be unhurt after the attack by Muntadar al-Zeidi, a correspondent for Al-Baghdadiya television, the Associated Press news agency reported.

The outgoing US leader had just told reporters that while the war in Iraq was not over "it is decisively on its way to being won," when al-Zeidi got to his feet and hurled abuse - and his footwear - at the US president.

Sign of contempt

In Iraqi culture, throwing shoes at someone is a sign of contempt.

The incident will serve as a vivid reminder of the widespread opposition to the US-led invasion of, and subsequent war in, Iraq - the conflict which has come to define Bush's presidency.

Bush shrugged off the incident and quipped: "All I can report is that it's a size 10."

Adil Shamoo, an Iraqi analyst at the Institute for Policy Studies in Washington DC, told Al Jazeera: "I think we should go beyond the shoe and think about the fact that the US should respect Iraq's sovereignty in order to regain respect of the Iraqi people and the Arab world.

"I think Bush has increased terrorism against the United States and instablity in the Middle East because of his policies."

The US president was in Baghad for unannounced talks on the pact between Iraq and Washington that will see American troops leave Iraq by 2011.

Al-Maliki applauded security gains in Iraq and said that two years ago "such an agreement seemed impossible".

Bush's visit to the Iraqi capital came just 37 days before he hands the presidency over to Barak Obama, who has vowed to withdraw troops from Iraq.

http://english.aljazeera.net//news/middleeast/2008/12/2008121419453773379.html

Guantanamo Uighur release blocked

An US federal appeal court has blocked a judge's order that 17 Chinese detainees at the Guantanamo Bay camp should immediately be released.

A district court had said it was wrong for the Bush administration to continue holding the Chinese Muslim Uighurs, as it had no evidence against them.

The White House then appealed, saying the original ruling - the first of its kind - could set a dangerous precedent.

Captured in Afghanistan in 2001, the group has been held without charge.

Under the original ruling, they were to be brought to court on Friday, and then freed to stay with members of the Uighur community in the Washington area.

The appeal court ruling puts a temporary halt to the release to allow lawyers for both sides to present further arguments over the coming week.

'Sworn enemies'

The Uighurs had been cleared for release in 2004 but the US says they may face persecution if returned to China.

The White House said if they were released it could set a precedent that would allow "sworn enemies" to seek US entry.

The government says the 17 also pose a security risk if released into the US.

But in the original ruling, District Judge Ricardo Urbina said there was no evidence that they were "enemy combatants" or a security risk.

Lawyers for the Bush administration have argued that federal judges do not have authority to order the release into the US of Guantanamo detainees.

Beijing demand

Some detainees at the military prison fear torture or persecution if they return to their home countries, according to the New York-based Center for Constitutional Rights.

The Bush administration has maintained that if they cannot be returned home and no other country will take them, they should stay at Guantanamo.

In 2006, five Chinese Muslim men released from Guantanamo Bay were flown to Albania for resettlement.

The 17 Uighurs involved in the current case had been living in a camp in Afghanistan during the US-led military campaign that began in October 2001.

They fled into the mountains and were held by Pakistani authorities who handed them over to the US.

Beijing has demanded that all Uighurs held at Guantanamo be repatriated to China.

Many Muslim Uighurs from Xinjiang in western China want greater autonomy for the region and some want independence.

Beijing has waged a campaign against what it calls their violent separatist activities.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/7660399.stm

Anger over Guantanamo Bay ruling

The White House has reacted angrily after a judge ordered that 17 Chinese Muslims held at Guantanamo Bay should be released into the United States.

District Judge Ricardo Urbina said the US could not hold the 17 as they were no longer considered enemy combatants.

The Uighurs were cleared for release in 2004 but the US says they may face persecution if returned to China.

The White House said the ruling could set a precedent that would allow "sworn enemies" to seek US entry.

The government says the 17 also pose a security risk if released into the US.

Lawyers for the Bush administration have argued that federal judges do not have authority to order the release into the US of Guantanamo detainees.

Analysts say the ruling is a rebuke for the US government and could set the stage for the release of dozens more detained at the military jail in Cuba.

'No risk'

Lawyers for the prisoners said it was the first time a federal court had ordered the release into the US of any Guantanamo prisoners.

Judge Urbina had presided over a hearing to consider appeals by the 17 who were seeking to be freed and allowed into the US.

They have been held at Guantanamo for nearly seven years.

The judge said there was no evidence that they were "enemy combatants" or a security risk.



"Because the constitution prohibits indefinite detentions without cause, the continued detention is unlawful," he said.

He ordered that they be brought to his courtroom for a hearing on Friday and he scheduled another hearing for the following week to decide where the Uighurs should be permanently settled.

Members of the Uighur community in the Washington DC area have offered to take them in.

The Washington DC courtroom was packed with dozens of Uighurs and human rights activists who cheered and applauded at the decision.

Justice department attorney John C O'Quinn's request to delay the detainees' release pending a possible appeal was denied by the judge.

White House spokeswoman Dana Perino said the ruling "could be used as precedent for other detainees held at Guantanamo Bay, including sworn enemies of the United States suspected of planning the attacks of 9/11, who may also seek release into our country".

Beijing demand

Some detainees at the military prison fear torture or persecution if they return to their home countries, according to the New York-based Center for Constitutional Rights.

The US has maintained that if they cannot be returned home and no other country will take them, they should stay at Guantanamo.

The 17 Uighurs had been living in a camp in Afghanistan during the US-led military campaign that began in October 2001.

They fled into the mountains and were held by Pakistani authorities who handed them over to the US.

Beijing has demanded that all Uighurs held at Guantanamo be repatriated to China.

Many Muslim Uighurs from Xinjiang in western China want greater autonomy for the region and some want independence.

Beijing has waged a campaign against what it calls their violent separatist activities.

Welcome To Iowa, Karl Rove!

The slow build up of anticipatory adrenaline reached a climax as I walked into the entrance of the IMU building in Iowa City Sunday. The chanting could be heard almost immediately and soon visuals revealed it was a squad of radical cheerleaders pumping up the protesters. A faux Karl Rove, massive 40K check in hand, was begging to have it signed, but everyone declined.

Members of the UI Anti-War Committee, Women For Peace, Wild Rose Rebellion, Iraqi Veterans Against the War and the press socialized, conversated, debated, etc. All groups handed out fliers to the poor souls waiting in line to hear the architect of war, torture and right wing madness spew phrases of vomit inducing bullshit out of his cavernous pie hole.

Unauthorized banners "spontaneously" came into being on the side of a parking ramp across the street. The lack of prepaid negotiations resulted in the banners being removed by the vanguard of the elite (pigs).

After several moments being unsure, I decided to actually witness the speech. Sitting with a bloc of protesters, we stood up, booed, and reversed our seats, turning our backs to that bastard Rove as he entered the stage as a sign of disrespect.

What followed was a hour plus of his avoidance of direct questions and rehashing the same old tired cliché sound bites that we've heard for too many years. A few brave ones made an admirable attempt at a citizen's arrest, listing the numerous crimes against humanity Rove has been a party to. They were thrown out swiftly. The rest of the audience held a considerable number of equally passionate persons and at countless times, the bastard had to endure heated accusations of truth from them.

After the speech, a piece of intel surfaced that disclosed his location at a local restaurant. An additional protest was thrown together on the sidewalk outside the establishment. We held banners and brandished amplified sound, demanding him to face us. Several passers-by joined us and eventually a waitress came out to warn us of possible police involvement. She concocted an obvious fable about a similar personal experience with protesting and the police, which we completely disregarded.

Somehow it was learned that he was trying to exit the back of the eatery, and several of us sprinted down to a small walkway that led through some buildings to the back. We were cut off by a security guard who got a little pushy and brandished threats of police calling. A couple of us remained there, while the others cordoned off another possible escape route, thus covering all possible exits.

Rove and his security personal eventually abandoned the sneaky escape attempts and exited out the front door, where he was met by the majority of the protesters and was visibly shaken, looking caught off guard. Your PR prowess may work for the TV, but it doesn't mean squat to real life people who don't accept your fuckery.

That concluded by day of direct action. YAY!