“I made mistakes in the past.”
Jumaboy, 28, spoke from a room in a prison in Tajikistan. “Unmarried and unemployed, I fell into a life of crime, which led me to serve time in jail.”
While serving an initial sentence for theft and robbery, Jumaboy was exposed to radical, extremist ideas.
“After my release, I fled to Afghanistan, where I became involved with the Taliban and engaged in terrorist activities.”
Upon his return to Tajikistan, Jumaboy was arrested and sentenced to 18.5 years for terrorist offences. He is one of over 2,000 prisoners convicted of violent extremism in the country, including around 280 returning foreign terrorist fighters (RFTFs).
Some countries have only a few violent extremists within their prison systems, while other countries have many hundreds or thousands in detention. But who are these prisoners, and why do they matter?
Prison systems around the world face fundamental challenges. In part due to punitive criminal policies, as well as a shortage of social protection services in the community, the number of people in prisons continues to grow in many countries, now standing at over 11 million globally.
With the territorial defeat of Da’esh, also known as the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), the phenomenon of RFTFs has become one of the major global threats to international peace and security – and prison management.
RFTFs pose specific challenges to prison authorities in their home countries, with their risks, needs, and security requiring careful assessment. Just like for other prisoners, prison-based rehabilitation for RFTFs is vital, but programmes must be tailored to their circumstances. Post-release social reintegration may be especially challenging. RFTFs also exacerbate the risk that other prisoners will become radicalized to violence.
Yet the ability of prison systems around the world to manage these evolving challenges is severely limited. High proportions of pre-trial detainees and underfunded and under-resourced prison systems – with poor infrastructure, overcrowding, inadequate professional training, and other fundamental challenges – heavily undermine the capacity of prison administrations to manage violent extremist prisoners effectively and prevent radicalization to violence in prisons.
These shortcomings can also leave prisoners in frustration and despair, providing dangerous entry points for attempts to radicalize them.
Adilzhan’s* story bears a striking resemblance to Jumaboy’s. He was sentenced to prison in Kazakhstan when he was just 22 for robbery, theft, and murder.
"In 2019, while in prison, I was convicted under Article 256 of the Criminal Code of Kazakhstan for terrorism propaganda.”
But both prisoners’ stories offer hope: since being imprisoned, their lives have changed in large part due to the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) Returning Foreign Terrorist Fighters Detention Programme, funded by the Bureau of Counterterrorism of the U.S. Department of State. The programme was implemented in Iraq, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan.
“The UNODC programme has changed many things in my life,” says Adilzhan. “My world outlook changed. I found I was very superficial in everything related to the ideologies I used to follow. I was wrong about many things.”
In its resolution 2396 (2017), the United Nations Security Council notes that prisons can serve as potential incubators for radicalization to terrorism and terrorist recruitment – but also that prisons can serve to rehabilitate and reintegrate prisoners.
Through technical assistance, the RFTF Detention Programme has helped beneficiary countries to translate the Security Council recommendations into effective action on the ground.
“Lecturers guide us away from our previous radicalization, while the prison officers support [us] in daily life,” says Jumaboy. His disengagement from violent ideologies has opened new doors.
“During my time in prison, I have discovered a new purpose. Learning how to read has been a turning point for me, as it has opened up new possibilities,” Jumaboy adds. “I have been given the opportunity to educate myself and read literature, something I never before had the chance to do.”
The prison administration assists in arranging family visits. They understand the importance of maintaining connections with loved ones.”
Jumaboy is describing some of the rehabilitative interventions made possible in prisons as a result of concerted work by UNODC and national authorities on the programme’s four impact areas, namely improving safety and security; addressing risks and needs of terrorist and RFTF prisoners; boosting capacity to counter and prevent terrorist threats within prisons; and sharing good practices.
For Adilzhan, too, life has changed.
“They provided me with a job,” says Adilzhan. “I am a welder, with a salary. I can provide for myself in the first place and give a helping hand to my family. I have a mother, a sister, a grandmother. I know whatever I do is a drop in the ocean – but this is how I make a difference.
It brings me a lot of happiness.”
“Our goal is the same: to prevent violent extremism and counter terrorism in our countries,” says Mr. Meyram Ayubayev, Deputy Chair of Kazakhstan’s Prison Service. “By sharing information and international experience, we can help each other to strengthen the capacity of law enforcement and prison officers.”
Through active participation in a collaborative program, the four countries have not only strengthened their individual ties but also developed a collective bond aimed at mutual growth and progress. The impact has been transformative, facilitating the exchange of knowledge, and has been complemented through the opportunity to gain insights from international partners and experts from UNODC’s network.
“This initiative has seen numerous results, including the establishment of risk and needs assessment tools, conducting security audits, and numerous trainings,” says Mr. John Herbst, Eurasia Team Lead, Bureau of Counterterrorism, U.S. Department of State. “It has been an unmitigated success, and we look forward to continued progress with UNODC in the future.”
In practice, such success means a more secure future in and outside prisons in Iraq, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan – as well as further afield. It means safer communities, as ex-offenders reintegrate and are less likely to commit crime again. And it means more dignified lives for all prisoners.
Today, Jumaboy is hopeful for his future. “My dream is to become a farmer and have a piece of land where I can rebuild my life. My mother requires my care, and this opportunity would not only offer me a second chance in life but help to support her.”
Read the program’s achievements report, published October 2023.
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*Name changed to protect privacy.
Based on the achieved results, the U.S. State Department’s Bureau of Counterterrorism has supported the implementation of Phase 2 of this programme. It will focus on strengthening the capacity of Central Asia countries to mitigate terrorist threats within their prison systems while also ensuring the effective management of violent extremist and terrorist prisoners before and after their release. By forging strong partnerships and sharing expertise, this joint effort aims to enhance regional security and strengthen the resilience of societies against violent extremism.
