In a surprising case of power abuse, a Jeddah District Court judge allegedly ordered the arrest of a Saudi man who merely cut him off while driving on a busy street recently. Amro Ali Abdo told Okaz/Saudi Gazette that he cut off another driver while driving during the rush hour last Thursday. The driver rolled down his window and questioned his motive for the dangerous maneuver. Abdo apologized and thought it was over. However, he was summoned to the Jeddah District Court on Monday and the driver he had cut off on Thursday was none other than the judge of the court. “He reminded me of Thursday's incident and then called a policeman to handcuff me. I was asked to write a report about the incident and was detained for three hours,” Abdo said. Abdo was released at the behest of Ibrahim Al-Salamah, chief justice of the Jeddah District Court. Al-Salamah expressed his shock and disappointment over the judge's behavior. The chief justice called Abdo to his office and reiterated the government's keenness to protect the dignity and rights of citizens and expatriates. He told Okaz/Saudi Gazette that there were regulations that must be followed before detaining anyone. Ibrahim Al-Tayyar, spokesman of the Justice Ministry, has called upon Abdo to file a case at the ministry, while Dr. Hussain Al-Shareef, chairman of the National Society for Human Rights in Makkah region, urged him to lodge a complaint at his organization. Obaid Al-Ayafi, a lawyer, said the judge had abused his powers and that he did not have the right to detain Abdo. __
