[OnyxCougar]

From Yahoo
Man Faces Jail for Car Sticker

TEHRAN (Reuters) - An Iranian man faces a possible lengthy prison term or even the death penalty for attaching a sticker to the rear window of his car proclaiming "The era of arrogant rulers is over," his lawyer said Thursday.

"My client faces jail for acting against national security just because of that sticker," attorney Mohammad Ali Dadkhah told Reuters.

The charge of acting against national security normally carries a hefty prison sentence and in some cases has led to the death penalty being imposed.

Dadkhah said Ali Akbar Najafi, 27, an unlicensed taxi driver, was arrested in June in southern Tehran. He said his client had thought up the slogan himself, but that it was not specifically aimed at Iran's clerical establishment.

"After being kept blindfolded in solitary confinement for 53 days he now suffers psychological problems," said Dadkhah, who was asked by Nobel Peace Prize laureate Shirin Ebadi, to represent Najafi.

Najafi was released on bail of $25,000 and ordered to appear before a branch of the Revolutionary Court on December 28.

His arrest in June coincided with a rash of pro-democracy protests during which around 4,000 people were arrested. The vast majority of them were released without charge.

When asked Wednesday whether Saddam Hussein ought to receive the death penalty, Iran's President Mohammad Khatami said: "If anyone is to be executed, the most appropriate person would be Saddam. But it don't want any human being, even a criminal, to be killed if there is an alternative."