(Berlin, Germany / New York, N.Y.) – After a trial that lasted more than two years, a German court found Nils D., also known as “Abu Ibrahim al-Almani,” guilty of murder in conjunction with war crimes against individuals and membership in a terrorist organization abroad. The German returnee—who was sentenced to 10 years in prison on November 26, 2021—was a guard in an ISIS prison in Manbij, Syria, and had participated in the punishment of a prisoner, resulting in the latter's death.
Nils D. is one of at least 111 returnees convicted in Germany. Most of the returned men and women had joined the so-called Islamic State in Iraq and Syria and their profiles and experiences pose particular challenges for all involved in their rehabilitation: how to rehabilitate people who have left their lives and families behind to join a terrorist organization, who have undergone military training and participated in combat; who have sometimes committed extremely brutal crimes, but who may also have been traumatized by their time in a war zone?
In Germany, the return of hundreds of (former) ISIS members has led to an increase in the number of convicted offenders linked to Islamist terrorism. This has prompted comprehensive adjustments at the federal and state levels, including concepts and regulations for dealing with extremism, continued training of specialists, as well as increased cooperation with exit counseling organizations. The wave of both departures and returns has considerably leveled off, and many prison sentences as well as probation and guidance supervision orders for sentenced returnees have already expired or will end in the coming months and years.
In this context, the Counter Extremism Project (CEP) is delighted to invite you to this webinar, where Sofia Koller, Senior Research Analyst at CEP Germany will be presenting key insights from her latest policy paper, From Caliphate to Prison – How Germany is Approaching the Rehabilitation of Islamic State Returnees (originally published in 2024 in German with the Friedrich Ebert Foundation and available in English after the webinar). Torben Adams, Head of Unit, Ministry of Justice and Constitutional Affairs in Bremen, Germany, will be comparing Germany’s experience to that of other affected countries in Europe and the Middle East.
The CEP policy paper serves as a starting point to reflect on Germany’s approaches to the rehabilitation of ISIS returnees, discuss ongoing challenges, and present policy recommendations.
The webinar will be conducted in English via Zoom.
Date: Tuesday, December 16, 2025
Time: 9:00 am ET / 15:00 CET to 10:30 am ET / 16:30 CET
EVENT PROGRAM:
Introductory Remarks:
Marius Müller-Hennig
Advisor on Freedom, Law, and Internal Security, Analysis, Planning, and Consulting Department, Friedrich Ebert Foundation
Presenters:
Sofia Koller
Senior Research Analyst, CEP
Torben Adams
Head of Unit, Ministry of Justice and Constitutional Affairs in Bremen, Germany
Moderator:
Dr. Hans-Jakob Schindler
Senior Director, CEP
The presentations will be followed by a Q&A-session open to all participants.
REGISTRATION:
To participate in this webinar please register via this link: https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_e4tXHBH7S7ulS0dCkbiiQg#/registration
Please register up to one hour before the webinar start so that your registration can be approved in time.
Please feel free to forward this invitation to colleagues with an interest in the subject.