UN special rapporteur Fionnuala Ni Aolain told Sputnik she was not expecting an increase in cases of terrorism suspects stuck on the border between Turkey and a country that is not willing to take them back, despite Ankara's reinvigorated drive to send foreign terrorist fighters (FTFs) back to their countries of origin
GENOA (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 21st November, 2019) UN special rapporteur Fionnuala Ni Aolain told Sputnik she was not expecting an increase in cases of terrorism suspects stuck on the border between Turkey and a country that is not willing to take them back, despite Ankara's reinvigorated drive to send foreign terrorist fighters (FTFs) back to their countries of origin.
Last week, an American suspected of involvement in IS (Islamic State terrorist group, banned in Russia) activities spent three days in a no man's land between Turkey and Greece, because of the US reluctance to take him back. On November 14, however, he was repatriated.
"I don't actually. I think it's unlikely. I think there will be high profile cases here and there," Ni Aolain, who is a rapporteur on the promotion and protection of human rights and fundamental freedoms while countering terrorism, said, asked if she believes the number of such cases is going to grow.
The rapporteur added that the case of the American in question was "somewhat aberrational."
"In general, what we see happening more and more is first of all European courts are requiring states to take nationals back," she continued.
The special rapporteur said that while some countries were reluctant to take back FTFs, there were some examples to the contrary as well.
"We tend to focus on the non-compliant states, but actually we have a number of states who are doing a reasonably good job that we don't talk about enough. I visited Kazakhstan as a special rapporteur in May, and actually I was there when they had at least three groups of returnees. ... Kazakhstan repatriated with US assistance I believe through Qatar three groups, so they've done a significant job," Ni Aolain said.
"Another example is Russia. Russia has brought back a number of its returnees � women and children and men primarily to Chechnya," she continued.
The number of foreign terrorist fighters in Syria and Iraq is well over 20,000, coordinator of the UN Analytical Support and Sanctions Monitoring Team concerning ISIL and Al-Qaida (both terrorist groups banned in Russia) and Taliban, Edmund Fitton-Brown, told Sputnik in an interview earlier in November.
In early November, Turkey enhanced efforts to send foreign terrorists back to their countries of origin, mostly European ones. Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu stressed that revoking citizenship of such ex-terrorists out of reluctance to take them back was unacceptable and irresponsible. According to the minister, there are some 1,200 FTFs held in the Turkish prisons.
