Within the framework of the four-year joint initiative of the UNODC and the Counter-Terrorism Committee Executive Directorate, funded by the European Union, the Kingdom of Morocco hosted a workshop on conducting preventive counter-terrorism investigations and prosecutions in the Maghreb region in Marrakesh from 18 to 22 July 2016.
About 30 participants from the beneficiary countries of Algeria, Libya, Mauritania, Morocco and Tunisia as well as from several countries and international and regional organizations attended at the workshop.
In addition to senior representatives from Algeria, Libya, Mauritania, Morocco and Tunisia, experts from Belgium, Germany, the Netherlands and the United States of America participated in the debate sharing their respective national experience by assessing the challenges and presenting good practices to address them. Moreover, regional and international organizations such as the Arab Maghreb Union, Council of Europe and Euromed, engaged very actively in the various sessions proving a broader overview on the topic and sharing best approaches.
Participants stressed that the nature of the terrorist threat, both within and beyond the region, demands a preventive approach. The international counter-terrorism legal framework and States' domestic laws provide a broad legal platform for the prevention of terrorist acts and travel by foreign terrorist fighters (FTFs).
Participants noted, however, that effectively implementation of a preventive approach while also protecting and promoting human rights involved significant challenges, with respect in particular to: (a) cases involving terrorists acting in an isolated manner or FTFs; (b) exploitation of information and communication technologies by terrorists; and (c) cases involving possible incitement. A number of solutions to specific concerns were highlighted, including ways in which to strengthen the use of: (a) special investigation techniques; (b) community engagement; (c) international and regional cooperation; (d) the interplay between criminal justice and administrative proceedings; and (e) prosecution, rehabilitation and reintegration strategies, for the purpose of implementing a more effective preventive approach. Participants expressed strong interest in continuing their dialogue on these topics, both through future seminars and through the development of informal regional networks, focusing in particular on: (a) converting intelligence into evidence and building intelligence from information; (b) cross-border coordination, including joint investigations; and (c) formal and informal counter-terrorism cooperation.
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