What to do with the returnees?

[Brenus]

What to do with the returnees?

Few times in the news, I saw that some are coming back from the Paradise on Earth that IS was supposed to be, the Land Of Islam itself.

First one was the young woman who decided to be a Jihadee’s wife, got what she wanted and decided it was not really what she wanted. No electricity, conditions of living appalling and not nice life or a girl who grow-up in European Standards of life, in term of expressing yourself, free to wear almost what you want when you want. She didn’t find what she hoped, she said. What did she expected and her initial support for a brutal, bloody and oppressive ideology is not the debate. She came back with a baby, after escaping to Turkey, crossing wires and others dangers. She show great determination in doing so.

Second, one man was arrested by the UK police coming back by taxi (driven by his cousin) to see his sick father. As he posed with severed heads on pictures, the UK police decided to interrogate him about this (note to pose with severed heads is not really a problem as attested by the sentence of non-guilty by The Hague War-Crime bla-bla Court in the case of Naser Oric).

I as well saw a note that 1 on 5 of these returnees are now questioned about their involvement in the conflict.

So, excepted the knee-jerk reaction of “they choose to go, so let then rot in their dirt”, how and what to do with them, as they will pose a security problem?

[Husar]

Depends on the case.

If they are really sorry and have seen the error of their ways, give them a lot of taxpayer money....


....to tell others about what a bad idea going there really is.

I still don't know that many people who are stupid on purpose / by choice. It's probably better when a returnee tells them not to go than to send a boring government employee in a beige suit with colourful leaflets.

Of course if they did a lot of horrible things back there and/or aren't even sorry and come back for other reasons, jail them for treason or so.

And since I'm not sure where else to post this and it's somewhat related, here is an interesting interview with someone who went there and still is there. The journalist made a deal with the IS over the internet and was allowed to visit the state relatively safely. Still took a lot of balls because he couldn't be 100% sure they'd stick to the deal. It's German with English subtitles.

https://www.facebook.com/video.php?v=10152723644955838

[Gilrandir]

If they are really sorry and have seen the error of their ways

They can pretend to be to get the money.

Of course if they did a lot of horrible things back there

You can never know.

[Seamus Fermanagh]

Such persons should be cautiously welcomed. Repenting of one's previous mistaken choices is not cost-free, but should not be prevented. On the other hand, I would expect domestic security services to watch and review such persons periodically to minimize sleeper-cells and the like.

[Husar]

They can pretend to be to get the money.

You can never know.

We can establish a new agency and call it the Gestasi (geheime Staatssicherheit), they will find out.

There are also well-established methods to get your money back if the wrong person takes it:

[Strike For The South]

High Treason is a hangable offense

[Philippus Flavius Homovallumus]

High Treason is a hangable offense

The EU made us get rid of hanging for treason :(

Anyway - posing with severed heads means you were out there fighting, given the way IS fights I'd say this guy should be locked up or deported back to his new homeland.

The girl, perhaps, should be allowed to stay as afaik the "wives" of IS fighters have it only slightly better than their slave girls.

[Ice]

High Treason is a hangable offense

Agreed. Not sure I'd hang them, but I don't think I'd welcome them back either.

[Seamus Fermanagh]

High Treason is a hangable offense

Make sure you have two witnesses -- and a lawyer to prove 'adherence to an Enemy' in the absence of a declaration of war.