Iran's hardline judiciary sentenced dissident academic Hashem Aghajari to five years in prison on Tuesday for saying Muslims should not blindly follow their clerical leaders like ``monkeys,'' his lawyer said.
The sentence marked a major climb down by the judiciary which originally condemned Aghajari to death for blasphemy after making the speech in 2002.
The death sentence, issued by a provincial court in western Iran, sparked some of the largest student protests for years and fueled international concern about restrictions on free speech in the Islamic state.
The blasphemy verdict was finally overturned by the Supreme Court in June after many senior clerics said it was too harsh. A re-trial was held in Tehran earlier this month.
``The Tehran court sentenced him to five years in prison for insulting Islamic values,'' Aghajari's lawyer Saleh Nikbakht told Reuters.
He said the court had agreed to free Aghajari, a history lecturer and pro-reform activist, on bail of 1 billion Rials ($117,000) while a further appeal is lodged.
Political analysts say Aghajari's original death sentence caused serious embarrassment to Iran's clerical establishment which is eager to see the case closed.
The court dismissed previous charges of blasphemy, disturbing public order, inciting public opinion and making propaganda against the system.
``I am happy that the judiciary stopped the commotion surrounding this case,'' Nikbakht said.
Two years of Aghajari's prison sentence were suspended, meaning that, after accounting for the two years he has already spent in jail, the effective jail term was just one more year, he said.
The court also banned Aghajari from holding public office or taking part in any activity requiring state permission, such as teaching, for five years after his prison term is completed.
While hailing the reduced sentence as a ``victory,'' Nikbakht said he would appeal.
``As the ruling is not compatible with the comments my client made in court in denying any insult to religion I will appeal in the next 20 days and I'm sure the Supreme Court will revoke the ruling,'' he said.
In his final oral defense to the court earlier this month Aghajari spoke out strongly in favor of democratic reforms and criticized those who put the clergy on a pedestal.
``Some think that touching a clergyman's robes will cure people or is a blessing ... (But) clerics are not sacred,'' he said.
Aghajari, who lost a leg fighting in the 1980-1988 Iran-Iraq war, said he supported ``an Islam that brings about freedom and is compatible with democracy and human rights.''