JEDDAH: The legal representative for a member of the Commission for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice submitted a three-page memo to the Riyadh Court of Grievances asking the court to dismiss the case against him brought on by Umm Faisal, whose suit against the commission is the first of its kind to challenge the conduct of the religious police.

The woman's lawyer, Abdul Rahman Al-Lahem, said the commission is fighting the complaint out of concern that it would set a precedent.

According to Al-Lahem, the commission's representative said, "It would be unreasonable that everyone who has been caught by the commission to be able to file a lawsuit against it."

Umm Faisal, who is in her early 50s, says two commission members - without showing any identification - detained her and her two daughters in Riyadh in 2004 as they were sitting in their vehicle because the girls weren't covering their faces with the niqab. The men then allegedly kicked the driver out of the vehicle and drove off with the women. Then the men had an accident and they allegedly dumped the three women in their vehicle at the side of the road. Umm Faisal and her daughters eventually had to seek help from strangers.

But according to Umm Faisal's lawyer, the commission's legal representative said his client did nothing illegal. In February, the defense said the commission couldn't be held responsible for the "personal mistakes" of one of its members.

Al-Lahem said the defense pointed out at yesterday's hearing that the men were found guilty and fined SR2,000 apiece four years ago and therefore are not to be held accountable by the woman they arrested.

"After all these hearings the commission is still unable to understand the legal premise of this case," said Al-Lahem, pointing out that the financial penalty was not issued as a reward to the bereaved but rather was a punitive measure.

"This fine was an official disciplinary punishment which they paid to authorities who found them guilty," said Al-Lahem. "I'm filing this suit at the Court of Grievances (the court where citizens file complaints against government officials) asking for compensation for my client. No one has compensated her for the damage of her car, let alone psychological and physical damage."

The next hearing is scheduled for Sept. 14.