An Iraqi journalist jailed after hurling his shoes at former President George W Bush will be released next month after his sentence was reduced for good behavior , his lawyer said yesterday. Muntadhar Al-Zeidi's act during Bush's last visit to Iraq as president turned the 30-year-old reporter into a folk hero across the Arab world amid anger over the 2003 invasion.

He has been in custody since the Dec 14 outburst, which occurred as Bush was holding a joint news conference with Prime Minister Nouri Al-Maliki. He was initially sentenced to three years after pleading not guilty to assaulting a foreign leader, then the court reduced it to one year because the journalist had no prior criminal history. Defense attorney Karim Al-Shujairi said Al-Zeidi will now be released on Sept 14, three months early. "We have been informed officially about the court decision," Al-Shujai
ri said in a telephone interview.

His release will be a victory for the free and honorable Iraqi media." Judicial spokesman Abdul-Sattar Bayrkdar said he had no immediate information about the release because it was a weekend. The bizarre act of defiance transformed the obscure reporter from a minor TV station into a national hero to many Iraqis fed up with the nearly six-year US presence here. The case also drew worldwide attention and became a rallying cry throughout the Muslim world for critics who resent the US invasion and occupation
.

Thousands demonstrated for Al-Zeidi's release and hailed his gesture, which came in the waning days of the Bush administration. The incident also embarrassed Al-Maliki, who was standing next to Bush at the time. Neither leader was injured, but Bush was forced to duck for cover as the journalist shouted in Arabic: "This is your farewell kiss, you dog! This is from the widows, the orphans and those who were killed in Iraq." - AP

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