Iraqi journalist Muntadhar al-Zeidi throws shoes at US then-president Bush at a news conference on December 14,2008. The Iraqi journalist who threw shoes at then-President George W. Bush responded defiantly Thursday when a court convicted him of assaulting a foreign leader and sentenced him to three years in prison, shouting "long live Iraq" when the verdict was read.

The Iraqi journalist who threw shoes at then-President George W. Bush responded defiantly Thursday when a court convicted him of assaulting a foreign leader and sentenced him to three years in prison, shouting "long live Iraq" when the verdict was read.

Muntadhar al-Zeidi's bold act in December electrified many across the Middle East who consider him a hero for defiantly expressing his anger at a president who is widely disliked for his decision to invade Iraq in 2003.

The 30-year-old journalist pleaded not guilty to the assault charge Wednesday, telling the three-judge panel that "what I did was a natural response to the occupation."

Reporters and family members were then ordered out of the courtroom for the verdict, which was relayed to them by defense attorneys and a court official.

Some of al-Zeidi's relatives collapsed after the ruling was issued and had to be helped out of the courthouse. Others were forcibly removed by guards after shouting "down with Bush" and "long live Iraq."

"This judiciary is not just," al-Zeidi's brother, Dargham, said tearfully after Wednesday's verdict was announced.

Court spokesman Abdul-Sattar Bayrkdar said al-Zeidi received the minimum sentence for the assault charge but could appeal the conviction. He could have received up to 15 years in prison for hurling his shoes at Bush during a December 14 press conference with Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki.

Defense lawyers said the judge showed leniency because of al-Zeidi's age and clean record. But they had hoped for an even lighter sentence, arguing the journalist's actions constituted an insult rather than an assault.

"The sentence was unexpectedly harsh," said Yehya al-Eitabi, one of some two dozen defense lawyers who attended Thursday's hearing and said they would appeal the verdict.

His assessment was shared by some in Baghdad.

"Al-Zeidi should have been honored and not sent to prison," said Salam Omar who owns a cell phone shop in eastern Baghdad.

The journalist has been in Iraqi custody since the shoe incident. Bush quickly ducked to avoid being hit and was not injured. Al-Zeidi was quickly wrestled to the ground by guards and dragged away.