OSCE holds discussion in Tajikistan on rehabilitation of prisoners charged with violent extremism and terrorism-related offenses

DUSHANBE, 16 January 2013 –A roundtable meeting on disengagement, rehabilitation and reintegration of prisoners for violent extremism and terrorism-related offenses concluded today at the OSCE Office in Tajikistan.

The two-day event was organized by the OSCE Office in partnership with the United Nations Institute for Crime and Justice Research (UNICRI), one of the UN’s five training and research specialized agencies, based in Turin, Italy.

The event brought together some 16 international experts and participants from Tajik government agencies who discussed good practices from all over the world in the prevention of radicalization in prisons, with a particular focus on Tajik approaches and experiences. 

“The discussion focusing on the rehabilitation of extremism and terrorism convicts was the first of the kind held in Central Asia,” said Ambassador Ivar Vikki, the Head of the OSCE Office in Tajikistan. “The participants had an opportunity to exchange experiences and learn about the cutting-edge international efforts to prevent violent extremism and radicalization that lead to terrorism in prisons.”

Douglas Stone, UNICRI Senior Adviser, said: “Efforts to detect, disrupt, pursue, detain and prosecute terrorists in order to defeat violent extremism will not be effective without countering the ideologies that enable recruitment into these criminal organizations.” He stressed that the concept is also a part of the United Nations Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy aiming to counter the appeal of terrorism.

The event is part of a project run by the OSCE Office in Tajikistan to prevent and counter violent extremism and radicalization that lead to terrorism. In the current stage, the project focuses on the collaboration between governmental, international and civil society actors.