THE NORDIC MONITOR -- Turkey’s ongoing practice of letting ISIS detainees choose their own destinations and move freely continues to endanger Europe’s security — a fact underscored by a recent Dutch case. On July 21, 2025, the Rotterdam District Court sentenced a 31-year-old Tajik man to five and a half years in prison for over seven years of active ISIS membership.

The man’s path to jihad began in 2012, when he left Tajikistan for Russia. By 2016, he was arrested by Turkish authorities in Gaziantep while trying to cross into Syria to join ISIS. Despite confessing his allegiance to the group, Turkey released him and allowed him to choose where to go. He opted for Ukraine, where he soon rejoined jihadist networks. Over the following years, he moved across Ukraine and later into Western Europe, eventually settling in the Netherlands in 2022.

Dutch intelligence tracked his extremist activities — from praising ISIS attacks to raising funds for militants and trying to recruit others. He also admitted being on INTERPOL’s wanted list. The court ruled that his allegiance, fundraising, and ties with other extremists proved continuous ISIS membership from 2016 to 2023.