Prosecution, Rehabilitation and Reintegration of People Returning from Iraq and Northeast Syria

Context

Since 2019, Central Asian countries have taken considerable steps in the repatriation of their nationals from conflict zones in Northeast Syria, including the Al-Hol and Roj camps. These efforts place the region as a global example for repatriation and reintegration and reflect the strong commitment to humanitarian principles, regional stability, and a shared understanding that punitive measures alone are not enough to prevent the rise and persistence of extremism and violent extremism. Despite these efforts, the comprehensive reintegration of returnees poses a complex set of challenges that require coordinated and sustained local, national, and regional responses. Returnees often face a combination of legal, psychological, and social needs that cut across sectors and institutions and require whole-of-society approaches to address. The design and implementation of a comprehensive, rights-based approach to prosecution, rehabilitation, and reintegration (PRR) is therefore critical to ensuring long-term reintegration and preventing cycles of recidivism and social exclusion. The initiative adopts a holistic approach to prosecution, rehabilitation, and reintegration (PRR) by combining the strengths of three consortium partners. GCERF advances reintegration through grants to civil society organisations and their capacity-building. Hedayah contributes expertise in strategic communications, advisory support, and capacity development, and the IIJ enhances prosecutorial capabilities and legal frameworks for returnees.

Overall objective

This project aims to support Tajikistan and Uzbekistan in developing sustainable, coordinated, and rights-based systems for the prosecution, rehabilitation, and reintegration of returnees from Iraq and Northeast Syria, thereby enhancing regional stability, resilience, and social cohesion.

Specific objectives

• To enhance the understanding and capacity of criminal justice practitioners to investigate, prosecute, and manage returnees in line with international good practices.
• To enhance the understanding and capacity of national stakeholders to craft, deliver and monitor R&R strategies or action plans, including an appropriate case-management system to address returnees' need.
• To better prepare communities to reintegrate returnees and families, and to further prevent more recruitment and radicalisation.
• To enhance knowledge sharing among key stakeholders on PRR processes.

Concrete activities

• Country needs assessment undertaking and validation with governments, frontline workers, CSOs, and media.
• Capacity building and technical assistance to strengthen national PRR strategies, decision-making systems and trauma-informed services.
• Civil society and media engagement through press releases, social media updates, and newsletters, to foster understanding and reduce stigma.
• Strategic communications, including national awareness campaigns to shape effective reintegration outcomes.
• Knowledge sharing and facilitation of communities of practice at national and international levels.
• Sector-specific training needs assessment to identify capability gaps and training priorities across judiciary, law enforcement, frontline practitioners, and government agencies.

Expected results

• Enhanced understanding and capacity of criminal justice practitioners to investigate, prosecute, and manage returnees in line with international good practices.
• Enhanced understanding and capacity of national stakeholders to craft, deliver and monitor rehabilitation and reintegration (R&R) strategies or action plans, including an appropriate case-management system to address returnees' needs.
• Communities are better prepared to reintegrate returnees and families, and to further prevent more recruitment and radicalisation.
• Enhanced knowledge sharing among key stakeholders on PRR processes.

Expected achievements

• Criminal justice and government stakeholders strengthen their capacity on PRR legal frameworks, including the development of prosecution components.
• Justice sector preparedness for differentiated, rights-compliant decision-making in terrorism-related offences and other complex transnational crimes, including where applicable FTF and returnee cases.
• Whole-of-government actors targeted support to operationalise coherent, rights-compliant rehabilitation and reintegration policy frameworks, including the monitoring and updating of national strategies or action plans, and the development of clear, structured coordination and case-management procedures at the operational level, in line with existing mandates and systems.
• Civil society organisations and journalists receive tailored training on R&R and P/CVE, including gender and human rights mainstreaming or communications.
• Government frontline workers capacity on R&R is built through punctual workshops and on-going mentoring support.
• Host communities and returnees are supported through community-level projects in order to facilitate (re)integration.
• National and regional communities of practice are established and facilitated by the programme, while knowledge products capturing programme lessons learned and good practices are developed and disseminated.