On March 30, 2023, a representative of the International Human Rights Commission (IHRC) Commissioner Robert Banaszek, participated in a webinar for Radicalisation Awareness Network (RAN) practitioners “Anti-government extremism, experience, and challenges”

According to Robert Banaszek, the webinar addressed the new topic of anti-government extremism (AGX) and its impact on communities, politicians, and other democracies. During the webinar, participants explored the connection between anti-government sentiment, legitimate protest, anti-government conspiracies, and radicalization. An attempt was also made to examine the concept of AGX ideology as a particular threat to individual politicians, civil servants, policemen, journalists, and other organizations and state institutions that are intimidated or even attacked.

During the Webinar, the participants were familiarized with the conclusions of the RAN LOCAL and RAN POL meeting, which were presented and discussed by Working Group Leaders: Annela Portman and Luc Van Der Taelen.

Participants also focused on the evolution of the AGX phenomenon. It was shown how democratic protest and social dissatisfaction are radicalized by conspiracy extremists. It also discusses how dynamic the AGX phenomenon is, which often leads to building a climate delegitimizing the rule of law and state power. The discussion also concerned the indication of examples of how, for example, local governments and law enforcement agencies are challenged by new forms of protest, various groups and ideologies, and the progressive radicalization of events.
The source and background of such behaviors and the susceptibility of social groups to AGX narratives are also discussed.

“The webinar of RAN practitioners is a perfect place to exchange views for all people operating in the state’s internal security sector. It is a working platform for an in-depth analysis of dangerous social phenomena as well as for developing solutions to prevent radicalization that may pose a real threat to the functioning of democratic institutions”, he added.

Reported:
Robert Banaszek
IHRC Commissioner

Editorial:
Fidelis Onakpoma
IHRC Editor-in-chief Worldwide

The post RAN: IHRC takes Part in Anti-government Extremism Webinar first appeared on ihrc.news.

According to Commissioner Dr. Andrzej Toffel of the International Human Rights Commission, Col. Robert Banaszek from Poland has been awarded IHRC Prestigious Medal “Civis Mundi Sum” by the incumbent Secretary-General Prof. h.c. Rafał Marcin Wasik.

He said on March 1st, 2023, the Secretary General, Prof. h.c. Rafał Marcin Wasik, on behalf of the International Human Rights Commission, awarded the intergovernmental medal “Civis Mundi Sum” in recognition of the outstanding merits in the defense of human rights to Col. Robert Banaszek, a retired Chief Commander of the Independent Counter-Terrorist sub-unit of the Police in Lublin, Poland.

The decoration was assisted by H.E. Vasyl Pavliuk from Ukraine and H.E. Ambassador at Large Jaroslav Tatarowski – IHRC Managing Director.

Recall that Col. Robert Banaszek for many years was fighting against organized crime groups, among others he held the most dangerous members of these groups. As the commander of the counter-terrorist unit, he participated in the planning and implementation of high-risk Police actions and operations (World Youth Day, the visit of the US President to Poland).

Col. Robert will represent IHRC in the European Commission as IHRC Commissioner in the working meeting: RAN PRISONS – Information exchange between the 4 Ps – Police, prosecution, prison and probation in the prison management and reintegration of VETO’s Wednesday 29 March and Thursday 30 March 2023.

Stating the background and aim of the meeting, he emphasized that at the time a VETO enters prison, there is a wealth of information already held on the individual by different actors, including police, the prosecution service, the judiciary, but also social services and other agencies.

The Triple P (Police, prison and prosecution) is a key triangle in the larger multi-agency cooperation environment with regard to managing security and promoting resocialisation. All three sectors perform risk assessments, but the tools and interpretation of outcomes might differ.

Hence information exchange is key, but a key precondition is mutual trust and understanding of each other’s tools, procedures and the relevance of outcomes for other actors, he maintained.

Meanwhile, strengthening exchanges with prosecution and judicial actors is further needed, as sentencing has a huge impact on the subsequent interventions in prison and beyond. Practitioners need concrete tools and guidelines on how to set up such information exchanges, what to keep in mind, common pitfalls but also transferable working methods and practices.

The meeting will be addressing information sharing, trust building, cooperation and rules of engagement between different actors (prosecution and judicial actors, police, prison & probation staff, exit workers, among others) involved with VETOs in the prison context.

It also aim to provide recommendations for a model information sharing protocol between different professional groups, with key elements/principles to be considered for building trust and setting up cooperation in the risk assessment, prison management of VETOs and rehabilitation/release preparation, he added.

International Human Rights Commission-IHRC have diplomatic representation in European Commission in Migration and Home Affairs: https://home-affairs.ec.europa.eu/networks/radicalisation-awareness-network-ran/civil-society-empowerment-programme/csep-network-members/international-human-rights-commission-ihrc_en

Reporter: Commissioner Dr. Andrzej Toffel

Editorial:
Fidelis Onakpoma
IHRC Editor-in-Chief Worldwide.

The post BREAKING: Col. Robert Banaszek Awarded IHRC Medal “Civis Mundi Sum”, Poland. first appeared on ihrc.news.