3.5 Preventing and Countering Violent Extremism and Radicalization
that Leads to Terrorism
Recommendations
OSCE participating States should:
• Avoid overly broad and vague terms such as “extremism” or “radicalization” without any clear connection to terrorism, violence or other unlawful acts, as defined
in accordance with international human rights law;
• Fully protect freedom of expression while preventing recruitment and mobilization of FTFs, subject to prohibition of genuine incitement to terrorist violence in
accordance with international law;
• Avoid overly broad offences in criminal law – such as apology, glorification or
condoning of terrorism – that frequently fall short of the threshold of incitement
to discrimination, hostility or violence and lead to impermissible limitations of
freedom of expression;
• Support voices offering alternative narratives as an antidote to violent extremism; empower communities and develop effective partnerships for the prevention of VERLT, including to address the varied push and pull factors and conditions conducive to recruitment and mobilization of FTFs; and
• Develop and implement tailored human rights-compliant and gender-sensitive reintegration and rehabilitation programmes for returning FTFs and others
involved in FTF-activity, which:
* Are based on individualized risk and needs assessments that take into
account, among other things, personal motivations, the nature and level of
their involvement in violent acts and potential victimization they may have
experienced themselves; and
* Are firmly embedded in broader VERLT prevention measures that effectively
address the grievances and structural social conditions conducive to terrorist
radicalization.
States are obliged to protect individuals under their jurisdiction from violence. Preventing and countering recruitment to and the engagement of individuals with organizations
that threaten human rights are dimensions of the positive human rights obligation of
states.
A growing body of reporting shows how ISIL expends considerable energy and resources
on its online messaging and its virtual image to lure and recruit individuals.187 UNSC
Resolution 2178 (2014) “[u]nderscores that countering violent extremism, which can be
conducive to terrorism, include[s] preventing radicalization, recruitment, and mobilization of individuals into terrorist groups and becoming foreign terrorist fighters … and
187 See, for example, G. Weimann, “The Emerging role of Social Media in the Recruitment of Foreign Fighters”,
in FFILB, pp. 77-96, op. cit., note 14.
Guidelines for Addressing the Threats and Challenges of “Foreign Terrorist Fighters”
53
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