Iraqi shoe-thrower Muntazer al-Zaidi 'was waterboarded' Philippe Naughton, and Richard Kerbaj in Baghdad
The Iraqi television reporter jailed for throwing his shoes at George W Bush was finally freed today and said that he had been subjected to electric shocks and even waterboarding while in custody.
Muntazer al-Zaidi had been behind bars ever since he shouted "it is the farewell kiss, you dog" and threw his size 10 shoes at Mr Bush during his final Baghdad press conference last December. Both are considered grave insults in the Arab world.
Although Mr Bush ducked the flying footwear and was quick to laugh the matter off, the protest was acutely embarrassing to the government of Nouri al-Maliki.
Sporting a thick beard and wearing a sash in the colours of the Iraqi national flag around his shoulders, Mr al-Zaidi was unrepentant after his release from jail after serving nine months of a one-year sentence.
He told a press conference at the office of his employer, the Cairo-based station al-Baghdadia, that he was no hero but had simply seized the opportunity to insult the man he accused of humiliating his country during six years of occupation.
"For me it was a good response. What I wanted to do in throwing my shoes in the face of the criminal Bush was to express my rejection of his lies and of the occupation of my country," Mr al-Zaidi said.
He added: "At the time that Nouri al-Maliki said on television that he could not sleep without being reassured on my fate... I was being tortured in the worst ways, beaten with electric cables and iron bars."
The 30-year-old reporter said he wanted an apology from Mr al-Maliki, adding that his guards had also used simulated drowning on him - the waterboarding technique used by the Americans on suspects arrested over the September 11, 2001 terror attacks.
"I am now free but my country is still captive," he added. "I feel humiliated to see my country suffer, my Baghdad burning and my people killed."
The journalist’s family and friends ululated when they heard the news by telephone at their home in Baghdad. They have prepared a sheep for slaughter in celebration of his homecoming but the reunion was delayed because Mr al-Zaidi was due to undergo medical checks at al-Baghdadia’s offices.
Relatives said that the reporter was exhausted and was due to travel to Greece for treatment after suffering both physical and psychological trauma in jail.
Mr al-Zaidi faces the prospect of a very different life from his previous existence. Although he is not planning to resume his old job, his boss has promised him a new home as a reward for his loyalty and the publicity that his actions, broadcast live across the world, generated for the station.
There is also talk of plum job offers from bigger Arab networks, lavish gifts such as sports cars from businessmen, guaranteed celebrity status, and reports that Arab women from Baghdad to the Gaza Strip want to marry him.