The UNODC Terrorism Prevention Branch (UNODC/TPB) launched phase II of its project to strengthen the legal regime against terrorism in Iraq through a national workshop on countering violent extremism and the criminal justice preventive strategy against terrorism, held from 14 to 17 April 2015 in Aqaba, Jordan.
Twenty-three senior Iraqi law enforcement and criminal justice officers and 13 international experts from Algeria, Canada, Italy, Jordan, Morocco, the United States and UNODC/TPB attended the workshop bringing the total number of participants to 36.
UNODC/TPB opened the substantial discussion with a presentation on preventive criminal justice measures to countering violent extremism. The other presentations in the first day of the workshop was dedicated to a legal and security-related situational analysis regarding terrorism in Iraq, as well as the new Iraqi counter-terrorism law that is currently before parliament. The four-day workshop continued with a series of legal and technical presentations by senior international experts with a strong focus on criminalization, investigation and prosecution of the glorification, incitement, recruitment and training of terrorists.
Through concrete cases and simulation exercises, experts and national participants explored good practices and brainstormed on common challenges. While very technical discussions took place among participants regarding criminal investigations on the Internet, experts also presented practical experiences related to support for and assistance to victims of terrorism and countering violent extremism in prisons. The workshop concluded with a roundtable, during which the participants formulated urgent actions that Iraq could take to address the terrorist challenges discussed throughout the activity.
The workshop was the first activity under phase II of the project on strengthening the legal regime against terrorism in Iraq, generously funded by the Government of Japan. Participants expressed their full support to UNODC/TPB's technical assistance provided to Iraq, as well as their commitment to facilitate cooperation with UNODC/TPB.