Bumper sticker earns trip to jail (2)

The surcharge plan has yet to be approved by the provincial or the local people's congresses.

The Web user's previous posts predicted that at least 100 cars could be mobilized to tour the city to protest the new fee.

The city's public security bureau told the newspaper that they had informed the Web user of possible consequences, but the user ignored the warning and continued to hand out hundreds of bumper stickers at a local square.

The local police also said the 13-day detention was handed down in accordance with Article 55 of the Law on Penalties for Administration of Public Security, which stipulates that a person who incites or orchestrates an illegal gathering, parade or demonstration can be detained for up to 15 days.

The Web user has never been identified but his or her detention has again raised online concern over the limits to people's civil liberties.

"The car owner shouldn't be detained as there was no parade or gathering," Xie Jiajun, a lawyer with the Guangdong Honghui Law Firm, told the Global Times.

The city will become the 19th in the province with such an annual vehicle fee.