WHY WE WENT to FIGHT and WHY WE RETURNED Radicalisation and Deradicalisation – Learning from Foreign Terrorist Fighters
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WHY WE WENT TO FIGHT AND WHY WE RETURNED Radicalisation and Deradicalisation – Learning from Foreign Terrorist Fighters OUTLINE Bishkek, Features interviews with 38 Foreign Terrorist Fighters in Kyrgyzstan’s prisons and with some Kyrgyzstan family members of prisoners by Afzal Ashraf, Indira Aslanova 2021 UDC 316.3/4 LBC 60.55 A 98 TABLE OF CONTENTS ABBREVIATIONS AND TERMS .......................................................................................... 5 Afzal Ashraf, Indira Aslanova EXECUTIVE SUMMARY ........................................................................................................ 6 A 98 WHY WE WENT TO FIGHT AND WHY WE RETURNED. Radicalisation and Deradicalisation – Learning from Foreign Terrorist Fighters – INTRODUCTION ................................................................................................................... 9 Bishkek: 2021. – 96 p. BACKGROUND ................................................................................................................... 9 LITERATURE REVIEW ........................................................................................................... 10 ISBN 978-9967-11-751-8 METHODOLOGY ................................................................................................................... 11 OVERVIEW ........................................................................................................................... 11 Research Team DATA COLLECTION ............................................................................................................ 12 Afzal Ashraf, principal investigator, University of Nottingham, United Kingdom. ................................................................................................................................ 12 Indira Aslanova, investigator and research manager, Research Center for Religious Studies, KRSU, Kyrgyzstan. FINDINGS Elnura Kazakbaeva, anthropologist and data specialist, Research Center for Religious Studies, KRSU, OVERVIEW .......................................................................................................................... 12 Kyrgyzstan. Olga Korjova – psychologist expert, Research Center for Religious Studies, KRSU, Kyrgyzstan. PSYCHOLOGICAL ISSUES ................................................................................................. 13 Begimai Maratova, research assistant, Research Center for Religious Studies, KRSU, Kyrgyzstan. SOCIAL ISSUES .................................................................................................................. 14 Reviewers: EDUCATION ....................................................................................................................... 14 Michael Clark, specialist in defense studies, visiting professor at King’s College London, Associate Director of the Institute for Strategic Studies, University of Exeter. RELIGIOUS EDUCATION .................................................................................................. 15 John Horgan, specialist in the study of the psychology of terrorism and violent extremism, professor of the FAMILY AND ECONOMICS ............................................................................................... 17 Department of Psychology at Georgia State University. Employment and Migration ........................................................................................ 17 Acknowledgments: MOTIVES FOR INVOLVEMENT .......................................................................................... 18 The Research Center for Religious Studies expresses its gratitude to the commanding officers and personnel of the State Service for the Execution of Punishment of the Kyrgyz Republic for their fruitful cooperation in pursu- Narratives ...................................................................................................................... 18 ing research and supporting the preparation of this Report. Media – Information acquisition channels ................................................................ 22 Special thanks to the Public Council of the State Penitentiary Service for their participation in the research and results analysis, represented by: NETWORKS, IDEOLOGUES AND HOTSPOTS ................................................................. 24 Omurkanova Cholpon, сhairman of the Public Council of the State Penitentiary Service; IMPACT OF CORRUPTION AND COMMUNITY VIOLENCE ............................................ 25 Kozhoyarova Gulsina, member of the Public Council of the State Penitentiary Service; Lebuzov Ibragim, member of the Public Council of the State Penitentiary Service. INVOLVEMENT IN ORGANISATIONS AND SPECIFIC ACTIONS .................................... 26 The research team is also grateful to inmates, their relatives and experts who were part of the research and Specifics of Organisation .............................................................................................. 26 shared their experiences. Ways of involvement ..................................................................................................... 27 These thanks are also extended to KRSU students from Department of religious studies for their help with tran- scribing the interviews and administering the research. Practical Actions ............................................................................................................ 28 Special thanks to STRIVE Team of Hedayah International Center of Excellence for Countering Violent Extremism Assessment of war experience on mental health ....................................................... 31 - Galen Englund and Irene Belmonte - for their continued professional and moral support during the research. The Research Center for Religious Studies extends its appreciation to reviewers for their dedicated time and val- FUTURE IMPLICATIONS .................................................................................................... 33 uable feedbacks, which tremendously helped us to fine-tune this Report. DERADICALISATION AND REINTEGRATION ................................................................... 34 The research was conducted by the Center for Religious Studies of KRSU and the Public Council of the State Ser- Context ........................................................................................................................... 34 vice for the Execution of Punishment jointly with the University of Nottingham (UK) with the support of Hedayah Reasons for returning ................................................................................................... 34 International Center of Excellence for Countering Violent Extremism. The views expressed in this publication are the exclusive responsibility of the research team and do not nec- Interrogation and Torture ............................................................................................ 36 essarily reflect the views of the European Union or Hedayah, the Center of Excellence for Countering Violent Prison Conditions .......................................................................................................... 36 Extremism. REHABILITATION AND RESOCIALISATION OF FTF ................................................... 38 This Report was initially drafted in English. The publication document is translated by S. Akhrameev. Deradicalisation and Reintegration Programmes ...................................................... 38 Psychological rehabilitation ......................................................................................... 40 Involvement of local communities ............................................................................... 40 ISBN ISBN 978-9967-11-751-8 UDC 316.3/4 LBC 60.55 CONCLUSIONS ...................................................................................................................... 41 Research and methods ................................................................................................ 41 Printed in the printing house KPD Drivers of radicalisation .............................................................................................. 42 Chui avenue 32a Pathways of Radicalisation, Deradicalisation and Reintegration ............................. 43 Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan 3 RECOMMENDATIONS ........................................................................................................ 46 ABBREVIATIONS AND TERMS ANNEX A – LITERATURE REVIEW .................................................................................... 49 CONCEPTUALISATION OF THE FOREIGN TERRORIST FIGHTERS PHENOMENON ... 49 CIS – Central Asia and Commonwealth of Independent States MOTIVATIONS AND RADICALISATION ........................................................................... 50 CSO – Civil Society Organizations METHODOLOGICAL AND THEORETICAL PERSPECTIVE ............................................... 50 CVE – Countering Violent Extremism LIFE CYCLE OF FTF AND ‘PULL AND PUSH’ FACTORS ................................................... 51 FTF – Foreign Terrorist Fighter Violent Extremism in Central Asia ..................................................................................... 57 HT – Hizbut-Tahrir KYRGYZSTAN ...................................................................................................................... 58 HTS – Hayat Tahrir al-Sham Causes and motivations for the recruitment of Kyrgyz’ citizens ................................ 59 Measures for