Legal sanctioning of returnees : a comparative case study of Norway, Sweden and Denmark’s approach to returnees from Syria and Iraq

Abstract

From 2011 to 2016, about 560 foreign fighters travelled from Scandinavia to Syria and Iraq to participate in the Islamic State (IS) (Bjørnland, 2017; Säkerhetspolisen, 2017; Justisministeriet, 2019). Today, about 40 of the foreign fighters have returned to Norway, 75 to Denmark and 150 to Sweden, leaving Scandinavian policymakers with the dilemma of whether legal sanctioning or rehabilitation is the best practise to reintegrate the returnees. This thesis seeks to enhance the understanding of the Norwegian, Swedish and Danish approaches to returnees from Syria and Iraq by comparing legal, political and penal practises in each country. The research builds on convictions, national action plans, newly adopted bills and terrorism and terrorist related legislations applicable to prosecute foreign fighters. The theory framing the analysis is grounded in perspectives on disengagement, decision-making, policy implementation as well as grounded theory.