"This rough behavior of some judges obstructs us from practicing our profession properly," one lawyer said. They have so far collected 70 signatures.

Speaking to Arab News, lawyer Ahmed Al-Rashid told of his own bad experience.

"One judge ordered two security officers to arrest me, handcuff me and put shackles on me. He also ordered that I be thrown in jail with criminals for 24 hours," he said.

Al-Rashid said he approached the chief judge to get justice. "Instead of helping me, he threatened me with a longer period in jail and said that a case would be filed against me if I did not leave the court building."

Two weeks ago, he sent a letter to the chairman of the Supreme Judiciary Council, requesting him to investigate the incident. He has not received any reply yet.

Other lawyers also voiced complaints such as being expelled from the courtroom during a session and denied access to information essential to defend cases. They alleged that judges do not give them enough time to defend their clients.

In a related development, the summary court in Riyadh rejected a case filed by Al-Rashid against MBC channel and its owner, alleging the channel was spreading immorality in society. The court asked the lawyer to approach the committee of the Culture and Information Ministry that looks into media violations.