"This is for the widows and orphans and all those killed in Iraq!"

In December of last year, Muntadar al-Zaidi was hurled into the spotlight as he famously threw his shoes at President Bush at a Baghdad press conference.  Al-Zaidi said "This is a gift from the Iraqis.   This is a farewell kiss, you dog!  This is from the widows, the orphans and those who were killed in Iraq."   

'The shoe heard round the world' won al-Zaidi praise and admiration across the globe, but the notoriety has not stopped his prosecution and imprisonment.  Al-Zaidi has been in custody since the incident and reportedly tortured.   Last week in Iraq, he  was sentenced to three years in prison for assaulting a foreign dignitary.  

As the 6th anniversary of the war approaches, let us stand in solidarity with the man who was brave enough to speak up for the people of Iraq, speak up against an unlawful invasion, and speak up for the millions of innocent Iraqis who have died or are left to pick up the pieces.

Sign below to support Muntadar al-Zaidi!  Your signatures will be delivered to the Iraqi Embassy this week!

Dear Prime Minister:

We, the undersigned, call for the pardon and immediate release of Muntadar al-Zaidi, the journalist who threw his shoes at President Bush shouting, "This is for the widows and orphans and all those killed in Iraq." We understand and sympathize with the sentiment expressed in the action and we, too, feel for the widows and orphans and all those killed in Iraq, thanks to the policies of the Bush administration.

It's outrageous that al-Zaidi was sentenced to three years in prison for insulting George Bush, who is directly responsible for the deaths of 1.5 million Iraqis and 4,200 U.S. troops, and for the displacement of 5 million Iraqis. The one who should be in jail is Bush, not Muntadar al-Zaidi.

We call on the Iraqi government to immediately release al-Zaidi without charges.

View our press room for the DC "shoe" actions