CJ-ROL Working Group Fifth Plenary Meeting

9 June 2022

Supporting the development of effective criminal justice systems within a rule of law framework and with full respect for human rights is a key aspect of counterterrorism (CT) efforts. Co-chaired by Nigeria and Switzerland, the GCTF Criminal Justice and Rule of Law (CJ-ROL) Working Group is dedicated to enhancing the criminal justice sector response to terrorism while upholding the rule of law and human rights.

For its fifth Plenary Meeting, the GCTF CJ-ROL Working Group brought together a range of policymakers and practitioners—GCTF Members, GCTF Inspired Institutions, United Nations entities, GCTF non-member countries, international organizations, and civil society representatives—to discuss supporting the development of effective criminal justice systems within a rule of law framework and with full respect for human rights in the counterterrorism field.

CJ-ROL Working Group Achievements
As the current term is coming to an end in September 2022, the Plenary Meeting provided an opportunity to consider the Working Group’s activities and achievements.

Over the five-year Nigerian-Swiss co-chair mandate, the CJ-ROL Working Group sought to include diverse perspectives in its activities and strengthened cooperation with numerous partners including UN entities, the International Institute for Justice and the Rule of Law (IIJ), regional organizations, academic institutions, and civil society organizations. This led to the elaboration of four GCTF outputs in the form of memoranda on good practices and recommendations that were endorsed at the ministerial level. These GCTF resources cover important areas related to criminal justice and the rule of law in CT and offer practical guidance to policymakers and practitioners:

• Abuja Recommendations on the Collection, Use, and Sharing of Evidence for Purposes of Criminal Prosecution of Terrorist Suspects | Arabic | French (2018)
• Glion Recommendations on the Use of Rule of Law-Based Administrative Measures in a Counterterrorism Context | Arabic | French (2019)
• Addendum to The Hague Good Practices on the Nexus between Transnational Organized Crime and Terrorism: Focus on Criminal Justice | Arabic | French (2020)
• Memorandum on Criminal Justice Approaches to the Linkages between Terrorism and Core International Crimes, Sexual and Gender-based Violence Crimes, Human Trafficking, Migrant Smuggling, Slavery, and Crimes against Children | Arabic | French (2021)

The CJ-ROL Working Group also dedicated significant resources to the dissemination of and training on these resources. Partnering with the IIJ, the International Centre for Counter-Terrorism (ICCT) and the Asser Institute, a variety tools were developed to raise awareness about these outputs and to offer training to a varied audience including policymakers, law enforcement personnel, prosecutors, judges and other legal professions. They include the following:

• Toolkit on Rule of Law-Based Use of Administrative Measures in a Counter-Terrorism Context │ French │Arabic
• Practitioners’ notes on the GCTF Neuchâtel Memorandum on Good Practices for Juvenile Justice in a Counterterrorism Context | Arabic | French for:
  • Investigators | Arabic | French
  • Detention Personnel | Arabic | French
  • Defense Counsel | Arabic | French
  • Prosecutors | Arabic | French
  • Judges | Arabic | French
• Videos on Juvenile justice in a CT context and Criminal Prosecution of Terrorist Suspects: Evidence Collection, Use and Sharing