December 22, 2008	Monday	Zilhaj 23, 1429

BAGHDAD, Dec 21: Muntazer al-Zaidi, the Iraqi reporter who threw his shoes at US President George W. Bush, is to sue security guards who he alleges beat him up after the incident, his lawyer said on Sunday.

“Muntazer has filed a complaint today (Sunday) against those who assaulted him,” lawyer Dhiya al-Saadi told AFP, saying those responsible worked for the security forces of Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki’s media office.

“There are bruises on his body. He has lost a tooth in his upper jaw, and his left eye is bloodshot,” the lawyer said, adding that the list of injuries is backed up by medical checks.

Zaidi, 29, grabbed the world spotlight when he threw his shoes at Bush during a farewell visit to Iraq last Sunday by the US president. He was wrestled to the ground by security forces and later arrested.

The journalist stands accused of “aggression against a foreign head of state during an official visit,” an offence that carries a prison term of between five and 15 years under Iraqi law.

But the court could convict him of the lesser charge of an “attempted aggression” which carries a prison term of one to five years.

“The damages are the result of beatings and harsh treatment in the hours following his arrest,” Saadi said. “Once he was transferred to prison he was no longer beaten or ill-treated.”

Maliki said on Sunday that it was for the courts to determine what action, if any, should be taken against Zaidi.

“I say that the law has to take its natural course in the case of Muntazer al-Zaidi even if it leads to his release,” the government press office quoted Maliki as saying.—AFP