An Iraqi reporter who threw his shoes at former US president George W Bush has been sentenced to three years in prison.
Muntazer al-Zaidi worked for Al-Baghdadiya television and earned worldwide fame when he threw his shoes at Mr Bush at a news conference in December.
Lawyers for al-Zaidi, who pleaded not guilty, said he was simply reflecting the views of many Iraqis.
'This sentence is harsh and is not in harmony with the law, and eventually the defence team will contest this in the appeals court,' said his lawyer Dhiaa al-Saadi.
Al-Zaidi was brought into the Iraq Central Criminal Court under a heavy police escort.
He was charged with aggression against a foreign head of state during an official visit and could have been given a maximum sentence of 15 years.
The trial first opened on 19 February but was adjourned to determine the nature of the former US president's farewell visit to Iraq on 14 December.
On his final trip to Iraq, Mr Bush had been at a televised press conference with Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki when al-Zaidi threw his shoes at Mr Bush, who managed to duck just in time.
The gesture is considered a grave and symbolic insult in the Arab and Muslim world.
