Three Australian women were charged on Friday with slavery and terrorism offenses after they arrived home from Syria along with 10 other individuals whom police allege are linked to the Islamic State group. The group, consisting of four women and nine children, had spent years in the Roj Camp in the Syrian desert. They landed on two Qatar Airways flights from Doha on Thursday, despite the Australian government's warning that they would face charges upon return.
Allegations of Slavery
Kawsar Abbas, 53, and her daughter Zeinab Ahmed, 31, were charged in a Melbourne court on Friday. Police allege that the family purchased a female Yazidi slave for $10,000. Their lawyers indicated they would apply for bail on Monday. According to police, Abbas, her husband, and children traveled to Syria in 2014, when the region was the heart of the Islamic State's self-proclaimed caliphate. Abbas is accused of being complicit in buying the slave, who was kept in the family home.
Abbas faces four charges of crimes against humanity under Australian law, while Ahmed is charged with two slavery offenses. Each charge carries a potential penalty of 25 years in prison. Both women were detained by Kurdish forces in March 2019 and have been held at the Roj Camp with other family members since then.
Terrorism Charges
Another 32-year-old woman was arrested at Sydney Airport and charged with being a member of a terrorist organization and with entering or remaining in a region controlled by a terrorist organization. Each charge carries a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison. Police allege she followed her Islamic State fighter partner to Syria. Australia made it illegal to travel to the former Islamic State stronghold of Raqqa without a legitimate reason from 2014 to 2017. She is expected to apply for bail in a Sydney court later on Friday.
Government Stance
The Australian government has condemned the women for supporting Islamic State militants by traveling to Syria and has refused to help repatriate them. Police have been investigating Australians' potential involvement in atrocities in Syria for over a decade. Currently, 21 other Australian women and children remain in the Roj Camp in northeast Syria near the Iraq border. Their supporters have told reporters they intend to repatriate them within weeks.
Exclusion Orders
One of those women is banned from returning to Australia by a temporary exclusion order. Australia can use such orders to prevent high-risk citizens from returning for up to two years. These orders were created by laws introduced in 2019 to prevent defeated Islamic State fighters from returning to Australia. There are no public reports of an order being issued before. Such orders cannot be made against children younger than 14, but Australia has ruled out separating children from their mothers.
Australian governments have repatriated women and children from Syrian detention camps on two occasions, while other Australians have returned without government assistance.
