DeFRET project results presented at the Faculty of Criminalistics, Criminology and Security Studies

A press conference was held in the amphitheater of the University of Sarajevo Faculty of Criminalistics, Criminology and Security Studies on 25 June 2020, on the occasion of the presentation of the study “Travelers to Syria: Criminological and Security Analysis with Special Reference to Returnees from the Syrian Battlefield “. The study is the result of research within the project “Defining factors and processes leading to radicalization, extremism and terrorism in Bosnia and Herzegovina - DeFRET.”

The project was funded by the European Union through the International Center of Excellence for Combating Violent Extremism - Hedayah, and was jointly implemented by the University of Sarajevo Faculty of Criminalistics, Criminology and Security Studies and the Nova sigurnosna inicijativa Association.

The press conference was opened by Professor Armin Kržalić, who spoke about the profile of returnees from the Syrian battlefield, travel motives, security of the local community and youth, and recommendations for resocialization and reintegration of returnees. About the research methodology and the work of the project team spoke Mr. Sc. Benjamin Plevljak, Vice President of the New Security Initiative Association.
 
After the presentation of the project, the Police Commissioner of the Police Directorate of the Ministry of the Interior of the Zenica-Doboj Canton, Mr. Semir Šut, addressed the audience. Mr. Šut emphasized that this project is an example of good practice in how the academic community and police agencies take concrete actions at the micro level in order to support returnees and citizens. In his opinion, such activities should be followed by other institutions in order to overcome the problems they face as soon as possible. The urgent need to address the impossibility of registering returnee children in the birth register was particularly emphasized.