Experts discuss ways to counter terrorist incitement at OSCE workshop

VIENNA, 20 October 2006 - Strategies to counter terrorist incitement and recruitment while respecting human rights were the focus of a two-day expert workshop that ended in Vienna today.

The event, organized by the OSCE and the Council of Europe, provided insight into how international co-operation between law enforcement and security agencies can help stop terrorist recruitment. High-level government representatives, judiciary officials, law enforcement and security experts participating in the workshop also discussed ways of preventing the Internet from being used for terrorism-related activities.

"Terrorists are using all available channels, in particular the Internet, to indoctrinate and recruit new followers for their heinous aims," said Karl Wycoff, the head of the OSCE's Action Against Terrorism Unit. "This unprecedented gathering, where policy-makers and security officials discuss and share experiences and best practices, contributes to efforts to stop the terrorists' messages getting through."

The fight against incitement to terrorism and recruitment of terrorists gained momentum after the adoption last year of a United Nations Security Council resolution calling on states to prohibit incitement to commit terrorist acts and prevent such conduct. The Council of Europe has opened for signature a "Convention on the Prevention of Terrorism," which criminalizes public provocation to commit a terrorist offence as well as recruitment and training for terrorism. The OSCE has adopted political commitments aimed at undercutting terrorists' recruiting efforts.

The workshop, financed by contributions from Germany and Russia, showcased national legal arrangements that combine the need to prohibit terrorist incitement with the need to respect freedom of speech.