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On 26 June 2025, the South Asia and Middle East (SAME) Network, coordinated by Justice Project Pakistan, hosted a high-impact regional webinar titled: “Torture Behind Closed Doors: Monitoring, Redress, and Survivor Support in Detention Settings” This was a widely attended and engaged session of OMCT’s Global Week Against Torture, bringing together participants and speakers from Pakistan, India, Sri Lanka, Iran, Saudi Arabia, and beyond. Speakers included: Aisha Shujune Muhammad (UN Subcommittee on the Prevention of Torture), Ambika Satkunanathan (UN Voluntary Trust Fund for Victims of Torture), Mahmood Amiry-Moghaddam (Iran Human Rights), Duaa Dhainy (European Saudi Organisation for Human Rights), Anup Surendranath (The Square Circle Clinic, NALSAR India), and Sarah Belal(Justice Project Pakistan).
Key takeaways from the webinar included the need for survivor-centred monitoring in opaque detention systems, aligning medical and legal documentation with international standards, the importance of empowering and building the capacity of NHRIs, and the promotion of inter-agency coordination. Importantly, the webinar served to underscore the necessity of peer learning and regional solidarity among CSOs and activists across the South Asia and Middle-East region as a key driver of reform across even the most challenging jurisdictions.
The South Asia and Middle East (SAME) Network is a pioneering regional coalition committed to abolishing the death penalty and protecting those most vulnerable in criminal justice systems. It is the first and only network of its kind to unite actors across a region that includes some of the world’s highest executing states. SAME brings together leading experts and practitioners from Iran, Saudi Arabia, India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Nepal and the Maldives.
The network:
Backed by pioneering research, bold advocacy, and a proven track record of securing commutations, repatriations, and reforms, the SAME Network stands at the forefront of a new regional movement for justice—one that is reshaping the global abolitionist agenda. With members regularly engaging in UN forums and global human rights platforms, it is emerging as a dynamic and trusted coalition driving real, cross-border change.
