Human Rights-compliant Prosecution, Rehabilitation and Reintegration (PRR) of Returning Foreign Terrorist Fighters (FTFs) and associated women and children in the OSCE Area

As of 2024, approximately 10,000 male ISIS detainees and more than 56,000 associated women and children are being held in camps in northeast Syria. While the ISIS terrorist insurgency in the immediate region may be largely contained at the moment, it is this detainee dilemma and the associated humanitarian and security crisis that threaten a potential terrorist resurgence. Moreover, there are approximately 15,000 foreign nationals (excluding Iraqis) among the camp population, for whom repatriation must be accelerated, including by OSCE participating States and Partners for Co-operation, if associated security threats are to be contained. Moreover, the population of Al-Hol and Al-Roj, the two largest camps, consists to 60% of children, mostly under the age of twelve, presenting an obvious human rights issue.

Against this backdrop, the Transnational Threats Department’s Action against Terrorism Unit  has developed “Project PRR: Human Rights-compliant Prosecution, Rehabilitation and Reintegration (PRR)  of Returning Foreign Terrorist Fighters (FTFs) and associated women and children in the OSCE Area”, to work with stakeholders from South-Eastern Europe, Central Asia and potentially also Mediterranean Partners for Co-operation on a set of distinct challenges associated with the return of FTFs and affiliated women and children, with regard to related criminal justice responses (Module I) as well as to rehabilitation and reintegration efforts (Module II). As Central Asia and South-Eastern Europe have been at the forefront of repatriation efforts since the start, this project also aims at promoting good practices developed in these regions in particular, for the benefit of the whole OSCE area.

Expected Results:

Enhance capacities across different OSCE regions in response to the challenges and needs posed by returning FTFs and affiliated women and children, by providing training and policy advice on human right-compliant and age/gender-sensitive approaches to their prosecution, rehabilitation and reintegration.

Project Results:

The project objectives will be accomplished through three distinct phases, each with specific results:

• Phase 1: Needs and priorities of respective OSCE beneficiaries in relation to the prosecution, rehabilitation and reintegration of FTFs and affiliated women and children are identified with the help of OSCE Field Operations and international experts.
• Phase 2: Local working groups are assisted jointly with OSCE Field Operations and international experts in reviewing regulatory frameworks and operational capacities on criminal justice and rehabilitation/reintegration responses to returning FTFs and affiliated women and children.
• Phase 3: Effective multi-stakeholder approaches ensuring a human rights-compliant and age/gender-sensitive prosecution, rehabilitation and reintegration are strengthened through training-of-trainers activities, organized jointly with Field Operations, and covering specific FTF-related topics.