Australian authorities have charged three women with terrorism and slavery-related offences after they returned from detention camps in Syria, where they had been held for years following the collapse of the Islamic State group.

Two women, Kawsar Abbas, 53, and Zeinab Ahmed, 31, were arrested after arriving in Melbourne with children from Syria via Doha, News.Az reports, citing NBC News. 

Prosecutors allege the pair committed crimes against humanity while living under Islamic State rule, including enslavement and slave trading offences connected to a Yazidi woman allegedly purchased in Syria in 2014.

Authorities said the offences carry a maximum penalty of 25 years in prison. Both women appeared in court and were denied bail.

A third woman, Janai Safar, 32, was arrested after landing in Sydney with her young son. She faces terrorism-related charges, including allegedly being a member of Islamic State and entering a declared conflict zone in Syria in 2015. She was also refused bail.

The women were part of a group of Australian citizens who had spent years in the Al-Roj detention camp in northeastern Syria after the fall of the Islamic State caliphate in 2019.

Australian officials said investigations into citizens who travelled to Islamic State-controlled areas have been ongoing for years and that authorities were prepared for the group’s return. The government stated that anyone suspected of criminal activity would face prosecution under Australian law.

The case has reignited political debate in Australia over the return of citizens linked to extremist organisations and the handling of women and children brought back from Syrian camps.

News.Az 

By Leyla Şirinova