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The US State Department on Wednesday published its annual report on world terrorism, which states that during 2020, the United States and its partners made great and significant progress against terrorist organizations, but the threat of terrorism has become more geographically distributed in regions around the world.
Together with international partners, the report said, the United States has responded to emerging threats, including the expansion of the Global Coalition against ISIS, which now numbers 83 members. The coalition worked to consolidate gains in Iraq and Syria as it expanded efforts to counter the growing ISIS threat in West Africa and the Sahel region.
The United States has continued to address threats from state-sponsored terrorism, sanctioning Iranian-backed groups such as Asa’ib Ahl al-Haq in Iraq and Saraya al-Mukhtar in Bahrain.
Nine countries across the Western Hemisphere and in Europe, the report says, among other things, took important steps in 2020 to designate, ban or limit Hezbollah, which has also been sanctioned in Kosovo.
Albania
The section on Albania states that the country continued to strongly support international efforts against terrorism in 2020 and contributed to the Global Coalition to defeat ISIS. The threat of terrorism in Albania includes foreign fighters returning from Iraq and Syria and the efforts of ISIS sympathizers to radicalize Albanian youth, as well as Iran-sponsored activity directed mainly against the Iranian opposition group Mujahedeen-e-Khalq (MEK). ), whose members are sheltered in Albania.
There were no reported terrorist incidents in Albania in 2020, the report said.
Albania, the report says, prosecutes terrorist acts, including terrorist financing, conducting transactions with persons on UN-sanctioned lists, recruiting and training people to commit terrorist acts, inciting terrorist acts and setting up, directing and participation in terrorist organizations or armed conflicts abroad.
The report notes the close co-operation of the State Police Unit Against Terrorism and its involvement in successful operations to apprehend terrorists or terrorism suspects.
The report mentions that on October 27, Albania repatriated an Albanian woman and four children from Syria, while efforts continue to repatriate more citizens from Syrian camps. On December 14, a suspect was charged by the Durrës prosecutor’s office with “inciting terrorism against Jews.” In a special case in June, the Basic Court of Tirana sentenced a defendant to three years in prison for the same criminal offenses. On July 23, a suspected agent sponsored by the Iranian authorities was declared “undesirable” by the Albanian government and subsequently deported.
Similar to last year, the report notes that corruption and barriers to information sharing between government agencies, insufficient inter-agency coordination, and a weak judicial system continued to hamper law enforcement and law enforcement efforts at all levels. Implementation of reforms in the justice sector continues, starting with the vetting of 800 judges and prosecutors for corruption, incompetence and links to organized crime, the report said.
Albania is committed to increasing its border security and controls to stop terrorist travel, in line with international standards and with the support of US experts and programs, the report said.
In 2020, Albania began implementing a stricter prison regime for dangerous convicts, including one convicted of recruitment for terrorism purposes, the report said.
DASH notes that the Albanian Government’s National Center against Violent Terrorism remains active in being supported by a wide range of US State Department assistance programs and diplomatic engagement, including local community groups identifying and mitigating factors supporting extremist extremism. violent. The Embassy in Tirana oversees the implementation of a fourth grant to the Muslim Community of Albania, which includes the commitment of the Islamic clergy to young people and their parents to divert them from the paths of radicalization and violence and informing young people. for democratic principles, human rights, civic duty and tolerance. The year 2020 was the last year of the program in this field of the American Agency for International Development in Albania.
Albanian justice officials regularly participated in various regional associations, conferences and other information exchanges against terrorism, the report said.
Chuang
The chapter on Kosovo states that the country continued to fight the threat of terrorism through close cooperation with the United States. Kosovo is a member of the Global Coalition to Fight ISIS. The Government of Kosovo is drafting a new combined strategy and action plan against terrorism and violent extremism by 2025. The report also mentions the dismissal and subsequent appointment of the coordinator of the office against terrorism and violent extremism.
Kosovo, the report says, continues to address the developments that followed the repatriation in 2019 of four fighters and 106 women and children from Syria, one of the largest civilian repatriations to date from the conflict zone. All the adults have been prosecuted and two of the fighters are in jail. Women and children continue to receive reintegration assistance through programs funded by American and European funds and the Prevention and Reintegration Division of the Ministry of Interior. This program and the Ministry of Education helped 37 of the 74 returned children enroll in school and, with international support, is helping women returning to reintegration and employment.
There were no reported terrorist incidents in Kosovo in 2020, the report said. Kosovo’s legal framework is rated as one of the most prone in the Balkans for prosecuting individuals suspected of committing or supporting terrorist activities, but the report says short sentences, early release from prison and a lack of organized post-release supervision , raise questions about long-term security.
The report notes that Washington’s September 4, 2020, commitments signed at the White House, codified Pristina’s commitment to increase border security and control to stop terrorist travel. Kosovo has described Hezbollah as a terrorist organization, it is further stated.
The report notes that Kosovo signed a co-operation agreement with the European Union Rule of Law Agency EUROPOL, known until recently as the European Police, while remaining outside INTERPOL, in part due to Serbia’s opposition and relations that have not yet normalized between two countries. It also emphasizes close co-operation with US counter-terrorism agencies.
The report mentions that on December 11, the Pristina Basic Court acquitted a group of defendants of terrorism-related charges. This was the second time the defendants have been acquitted of terrorism charges, even though they have been convicted of possession and trafficking of weapons. The case was filed in 2015 by international prosecutors and then transferred to the domestic judicial system, staying in Kosovo’s courts for five years.
On October 30, Agon Misini was released from prison after serving 18 months of his four-year sentence for participating in a terrorist group. Agon Misini was the first repatriated fighter. The Court of Appeals recognized his time spent in detention in Syria following his arrest in 2017 by the Syrian Democratic Forces.
On October 20, Kosovo police arrested a man who threatened Kosovo’s ambassador to France, who distributed an article in Le Figaro newspaper describing a chronology of attacks on the satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo.
On September 30, prosecutors charged Igballe Huduti with incitement to commit terrorist acts. Ms. Huduti was arrested on January 7 for her posts on social media where she criticized Washington for the assassination of Iranian commander Qasim Soleimani and called for revenge.
On September 24, the Kosovo Supreme Court upheld the sentence of five and a half years in prison for Visar Qukovci for participating in a terrorist group, while ordering a retrial on charges of child abuse. Qukovci, one of the fighters repatriated from Syria in 2019, had filmed propaganda videos in which he put a suicide vest on his 3-year-old son.
On January 10, Arian Kryeziu was sentenced to 46 months in prison for participating in a terrorist group.
Of the 32 women repatriated from Syria in 2019, 29 pleaded guilty to participating in ISIS and received short suspended sentences. Women will avoid prison time if they do not commit further crimes, are regularly checked by Kosovo police and attend psychotherapy.
The report further states, among other things, that Kosovo has drafted a legal framework for financial sanctions against terrorist organizations, which after approval by parliament, will improve the limitation of terrorist financing.
The Kosovo Correctional Service, according to the report, continued to implement a program, supported by American experts, to work with convicted terrorists in prison. The program includes the collection, analysis and sharing of information within correctional service decision-makers and other relevant law enforcement agencies, and the management of the rehabilitation and eventual reintegration of convicts. Authorities continued reintegration programs of individuals serving prison sentences on terrorism charges, returnees and their family members, albeit with a lack of staff and funding, according to the DASH report./ Taken from VOA
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