A Saudi man claims that he was unfairly jailed for nine days recently over an old case involving alimony payments to his former wife and children. Dughaim Al-Zahrani, who is in his thirties, said that the case involving SR48,000 in alimony payments was resolved a year ago; and at that time he had also been arrested at a Makkah court over this matter, he said. Now, for three months after this latest arrest, he has been trying to clear his name and get compensation for the time he spent in jail. Al-Zahrani said he was traveling on a Saudi Public Transport Company (SAPTCO) bus to Dammam when he was taken by surprise by security officials at a checkpoint, who asked him to step down from the bus. In full view of passengers and passersby they handcuffed him and sent him to Al-Nadheem Police Station in Riyadh. Al-Zahrani said that he was arrested because of an All Points Bulletin (APB) issued by the Civil Rights in Makkah for his arrest for evading payment of alimony for his children. Al-Zahrani said he was subsequently taken from Riyadh and handed over to the Al-Tan'eem Police in Makkah where he was imprisoned for nine days. “From the moment I was arrested I tried several times to convince the officials that my case was over for one year and that there were no financial or judicial demands against me. But all my attempts fell on deaf ears,” he said. He said that the incident “has tainted my reputation” with the bus passengers but also with his relatives and work colleagues. He said his colleagues had discovered that he had been jailed after he failed to turn up for work. Al-Zahrani said he filed an official complaint at the Administrative Court in Dammam demanding compensation for the period he was imprisoned and to punish those responsible for the mistake, but the court refused to accept the complaint. He was told it should be filed at the Administrative Court in Makkah. Al-Zahrani said he is in the process of filing a lawsuit at the Administrative Court in Makkah to hold accountable those who failed to withdraw the arrest warrant against him. Meanwhile, a source at the National Society for Human Rights (NSHR), confirmed that the Saudi national has the right to file a grievance. The source said that he should file an official complaint at the NSHR or higher judicial authorities.
