Nearly 2,000 individuals have traveled from France to Syria and Iraq to join
terrorist organizations such as the so-called Islamic State (ISIS). They make
up the largest contingent of European travelers. During the past decade, the
high number of investigations concerning these alleged foreign terrorist
fighters (FTFs) and court cases of returnees as well as a general increase in
the terrorist threat levels in France has had a crucial impact on the French
criminal justice system’s response.





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CEP Webinar: A Sisyphean Task? Prosecuting Returnees from Syria and Iraq in
France



(New York, N.Y. / Berlin) – Nearly 2,000 individuals have traveled from France
to Syria and Iraq to join terrorist organizations such as the so-called Islamic
State (ISIS). They make up the largest contingent of European travelers. During
the past decade, the high number of investigations concerning these alleged
foreign terrorist fighters (FTFs) and court cases of returnees as well as a
general increase in the terrorist threat levels in France has had a crucial
impact on the French criminal justice system’s response.



Potential prison sentences for terrorism-related charges, for example, have
repeatedly been increased and returnees now risk imprisonment for life. Women
made up around a third of travelers from France, but female returnees were—like
in other European countries—not systematically investigated and prosecuted
until 2017. Charges for core international crimes, such as crimes against
humanity or war crimes, are receiving increased attention but remain more
difficult to establish than terrorism-related charges. Finally, since France
started repatriating French women from northeastern Syria in summer 2022, more
female returnees who stayed with ISIS until the end are expected to stand trial
in Paris.



The Counter Extremism Project (CEP) is delighted to invite you to this
webinar, where Sofia Koller, senior research analyst at CEP Germany, will be
presenting her latestpolicy paper
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,Prosecution of Returnees from Syria and Iraq in France: Insights and
Recommendations for Policymakers and Security Agencies.



The CEP policy paper serves as a starting point for a discussion on the
approach to prosecuting returnees in France, the role of international criminal
law, gendered differences, as well as broader challenges of human rights-based
processes of prosecution, rehabilitation, and reintegration of ISIS-affiliates.



The webinar will be conducted in English via Zoom.



Date: Tuesday, May 2, 2023

Time: 9:00 a.m. ET / 15:00 CET to 10:30 am ET / 16:30 CET



EVENT PROGRAM:



Presenters:



Sofia Koller

Senior Research Analyst, Counter Extremism Project (CEP)



Dr. Sharon Weill

Associate Professor of International Law at the American University of Paris
and Senior Lecturer at Sciences Po Paris



Constance Wilhelm-Olympiou

Doctoral Researcher, King’s College London, Department of War Studies



Moderator and Introductory Remarks:



Dr. Hans-Jakob Schindler

Senior Director, Counter Extremism Project (CEP)



The presentations will be followed by a Q&A session open to all participants.



REGISTRATION:



To participate in this webinar please register via this link:

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Please register up to one hour before the start of the webinar to ensure
registration approval.



Please feel free to forward this invitation to colleagues with an interest in
the subject.



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