The human rights group Amnesty International is accusing Saudi Arabia of using the so-called “war on terror” to stifle domestic dissent. In a new report, Amnesty says it’s documented scores of jailings of teachers, activists and others critical of the ruling Saudi kingdom. Lamri Chirouf of Amnesty International said the jailings are widespread.

Lamri Chirouf: “The government arrests suspects from their homes, from the classroom, from the university compounds, from the streets, and locks them up with no right of access to a lawyer, no right to challenge the decision of being detained. They are often held in solitary confinement for lengthy periods. There are many who have alleged to have been tortured. They are held incommunicado for months, without their families knowing where they are.”

Saudi Arabia is one of the leading US allies in the Middle East.