OSCE holds workshop in Uzbekistan for judges, prosecutors and investigators on countering the use of the Internet for terrorist purposes

TASHKENT, 25 October 2016 – A two-day OSCE-organized national workshop on countering the use of Internet for terrorist purposes began today in Tashkent, bringing together some 40 judges, prosecutors and investigators from across Uzbekistan.

Organized by the OSCE Project Co-ordinator in Uzbekistan and the Action against Terrorism Unit (ATU) of the OSCE Secretariat’s Transnational Threat Department, the event will provide a platform to discuss issues related to legal frameworks on countering the use of the Internet for terrorist purposes, the use of open source intelligence, and the protection and recovery of forensic data in investigations. Participants will also explore good practices in investigating different components and stages of the use of the Internet for terrorist purposes.

“The Internet has developed into one of the most advantageous means for nourishing fundamental values, such as democracy and freedom of expression,” said Hans-Ullrich Ihm, Acting OSCE Project Co-ordinator in Uzbekistan.” In order to effectively counter terrorism and extremism on the Internet, it is vital to actively unify and harmonize the national legislation in this area, and thus provide for a more effective correlation of anti-terrorism measures taken at national, regional and international levels.”

During the workshop, participants will exchange experiences with 13 international experts from Canada, Israel, Italy, Portugal, the Russian Federation, the Anti-Terrorism Centre of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) and the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC). Advisers from the Office of the OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media and ATU will also share best practices in promoting a comprehensive approach to preventing the use of the Internet as a facilitator of terrorist activities.

The seminar is a part of a joint project with Uzbekistan, aimed at providing assistance to national law enforcement agencies and relevant institutions from the non-governmental sector in building the capabilities of practitioners to effectively respond to terrorism-related threats in compliance with human rights and the rule of law.