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Interview
"Muntazer Was Tortured"
Muntazer Al-Zaidi's Brother Uday Speaks
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Uday Al-Zaidi chants slogans at his house after the court sentenced al-Zaidi to three years in prison, in Baghdad (Reuters photo) |
IslamOnline.net's correspondent in Sudan interviewed Uday Al-Zaidi in Khartoum shortly after his return from Darfur where he was visiting along with an international delegation of activists, academics and diplomats.
"Muntazer was tortured," says Uday Al-Zaidi, brother of the Iraqi journalist who hurled his shoes toward former US President George Bush last year in a press conference, to IslamOnline.net in an interview.
Muntazer Al-Zaidi was sentenced in March to three years in jail, but an Iraqi court decided to reduce his sentencing to one year.
Yet, Uday Al-Zaidi still fears for his brother's life.
"We cannot feel safe for Muntazer until he is in one of the Arab countries. He must not stay in Baghdad; he must leave it for good."
IslamOnline.net: What do you think of your brother's action against the former US president George Bush?
Uday Al-Zaidi: I am extremely proud of what my brother Muntazer Al-Zaidi did just as 250 million Arabs and one billion Muslims are, even though I did not believe it when I was told. I was shocked by this act from Muntazer, not because Bush was the president of the most powerful nation, but because of the courage Muntazer showed which was surprising. I am grateful to God that he had such courage: the shoe that did not fall on Bush fell on the American flag. This is a source of pride for us Arabs and Muslims. It reclaimed our dignity, even if just partially, from that criminal [George Bush].
IOL: Is there evidence that it was a planned act or was it spontaneous?
This was the dream of any honorable person, to reclaim our dignity, and Muntather started this trend.
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Al-Zaidi:I would lie to you if I said it was simply spontaneous. Muntazer was a journalist in the heart of events and saw what American soldiers were doing. In one instance, when Abeer al-Janabi was raped, Muntazer cried and said: "a fourteen year-old girl was raped, burnt and her family killed!" Muntazer was also extremely disturbed when the US soldiers fired shots at the Noble Qur'an in al-Ghazaliyya. All of this anger built up inside Muntazer.
When he saw Bush, and he even said this at the trial to the judge: "When I saw Bush I saw the blood of Iraqis flowing under his feet." It was a build-up of anger. He may have not planned it, but this was the dream of any honorable person, to reclaim our dignity, and Muntazer started this trend.
IOL: You have made statements that Muntazer was tortured in custody but Iraqi officials deny this. Is there evidence that he was tortured?
Al-Zaidi: Yes, Iraq's minister of human rights acknowledged that Muntazer was barbarically tortured, and she delivered a complaint to the Iraqi Judiciary which ignored it. A number of attorneys that met with the President of the Bar, Dhiyaa al-Sa'di, and his assistant, Abd al-Qadir al-Qaysi, stated that Muntazer Al-Zaidi was tortured. Dhiyaa al-Kinani, the examining magistrate, said: "I saw Muntazer and he had been tortured and I will file a lawsuit." Three months later, when Muntazer entered the courtroom and in front of all the journalists to see, his face was full of stitches and bruises and one of his teeth was uprooted. On the trial day it was discovered that he has a broken right foot that was not treated.
IOL: What do you think of the national Iraqi and international responses to the shoe-throwing incident?
Al-Zaidi: I think they were natural responses because of what Bush has done. These responses are what saved Muntazer Al-Zaidi. If there were no reactions as many as there were, and considerable media coverage, Muntazer Al-Zaidi would have been killed in the same instance or even when he was dragged out of the [press conference] room.
| This verdict is against one billion Muslims, every Arab and free person in the world. |
It was when the Iraqi government saw people react to this incident in Iraq, the Arab World and the World, even in the United States, and this is what made them not kill Muntazer Al-Zaidi. But they are monsters. Muntazer was tortured for three months. They tried to compromise by trying to make him say he was sent by an Arab country or Iran or any country and they would then release him instantly. But he insisted that he did this for Iraqis only.
IOL: What do you think of the trial and the verdict of three years against Muntazer?
Al-Zaidi: The verdict did not come from the court; it came from the United States. The three years ruling from the court is criminal. Before the trial I said that the Iraqi Judiciary is under a test and it should know that it is not only trying Muntazer but one billion Muslims too. I believe that this verdict is against one billion Muslims, every Arab and free person in the world who would have loved to do the same thing against Bush; the idea simply was Muntazer's. This verdict is unjust. There is no plaintiff in the court. When Muntazer entered the court there was no complaint against him from Bush. But it rather was an act of "courtesy" from the Iraqi government to Bush. He is the one who placed them [in power] so they must repay him the debt.
IOL: After all the demonstrations against the trial, and the court not taking these demonstrations into consideration, what do you think today of the court?
Al-Zaidi: On the contrary, I think that the demonstrations pressured the court. The court intended to punish Muntazer with seven to fifteen years according to Article 223 of the Iraqi law. But the large demonstrations put pressure on the court. The court was between a rock and a hard spot: between demonstrating [Iraqi] citizens and the orders issued by the prime minister and the Americans, so, it chose a middle solution.
IOL: Are their voices still calling for his release or to have the sentence reduced and do you worry that his case may be forgotten?
Al-Zaidi: Yes, it has been forgotten by some. Muntazer did what he did to restore the pride of Iraqis, Arabs and Muslims. The demonstrations were only in the first days. But after that, I had to plea, even with the press, to allow me to appear on a satellite channel to speak about Muntazer. He should be continuously in the press so his case will not be forgotten; otherwise, he will be killed in jail.
| "Please don't forget my case, I am tortured everyday with electricity shocks from the Commander of the Baghdad Brigade."Munather |
Today we received news that his punishment has been reduced to one year. That is still unjust; he should not serve one day. Muntazer was subjected to brutal torture and that is more than enough to have his sentencing nullified. I am greatly fearful over this reduced sentencing and I hope my hunch is wrong. The Iraqi government views Muntazer as the one who insulted it and its guest and I don’t think they will forget that easily.
IOL:What do you fear?
Al-Zaidi: Muntazer is susceptible to anything, even murder. They have their ways and flimsy excuses. They listen to no one! Demonstrations with millions took to the streets against the occupiers and they listened to no one. There were demonstrations critical of the constitution and they didn't care. There were demonstrations against the security agreements also and they did listen to the people. They might do something to Muntazer and say he committed suicide or was food-poisoned or anything like that. We cannot feel safe for Muntazer until he is in one of the Arab countries. He must not stay in Baghdad; he must leave it for good.
IOL: Were you in touch with Muntather after the court's verdict of three years? Are you in contact now with your family and the attorneys after the sentencing reduction?
Al-Zaidi: I was inside the courtroom when the verdict was issued. When they were going to take him back to his prison cell, he sat on the floor and refused to move until he would be allowed to see me. When I was allowed to see him he said: "Please don't forget my case, I am tortured everyday with electricity shocks from the Commander of the Baghdad Brigade." Then he saw a notebook in my hand and wrote a letter to Gaza and the Arab people that was published then. He then said: "Don’t worry, these three years are a sacrifice from me to the people of Iraq and the Iraqi martyrs and I am willing to sacrifice even more."
IOL: What do you know of the decision to reduce Muntazer’s sentencing?
Al-Zaidi: What I know is that the Iraqi court reduced the sentencing from three years to one year. He has already spent four months in prison. He has five more months left, because three months-a quarter of the time- will be dropped.
IOL: Who told you that the three year sentencing was reduced?
Al-Zaidi: My brother, Durgham Al-Zaidi called me from Baghdad and I also called the attorneys, from Darfur.
IOL: You were in Darfur when you heard the news?
| The future of Iraq is with heroes like Muntather, the martyrs and the resistance fighters. |
Al-Zaidi: In Darfur, I was with the wali (governor) of North Darfur State. He welcomed me in front of more than thirty Arab and African ambassadors and gave me a pair of shoes made in Darfur as a gift. He said that these shoes must reach Muntather in prison and I promised him that I would deliver the shoes to him. It was a magnificent gathering.
The Arab, African, Chinese, Korean and Iranian ambassadors all welcomed me and said we all are with Muntazer. But the best statement came from the ambassador of Qatar who said: "Your brother restored our dignity."
In Darfur people know of Muntazer Al-Zaidi. Interestingly, Muntazer asked me to buy a pair of shoes from every Arab country I visit on my tour to raise support for him. I bought shoes in Qatar, Jordan, the United Arab Emirates and Syria. I was going to buy shoes from Sudan, but the wali of North Darfur surprised me with the shoes as a gift to Muntazer. They were the only pair of shoes that were a gift; the rest I bought.
IOL: In the eyes of many, Muntazer Al-Zaidi is a hero and a symbol in the Arab World and around the globe. What do you want people to know about your brother and how do you see the future of Iraq in light of this?
Al-Zaidi:In sha' Allah, the future of Iraq is bright because of the resistance. I don’t mean the agent "resistance." There are two resistance [movements] in Iraq: one that implements a foreign agenda and kills civilians and another noble resistance that has caused the enemy great losses. The future of Iraq is with heroes like Muntazer, the martyrs and the resistance fighters. The future of Iraq, in sha' Allah, will be glorious and we will kick out this group that came with the occupier until Iraq is ruled by Iraqis.
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Isma’il Kamal Kushkush is a Sudanese-American freelance writer currently based in Khartoum, Sudan.
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