‘ISIS brides’ on slavery charges make bid for freedom
Two Islamic State-affiliated women arrested hours after returning from a Syrian refugee camp and accused of slavery crimes are seeking to be released and reintegrated into society.
Kawsar Ahmad, 53, and Zeinab Ahmad, 31, will apply for bail in the Melbourne Magistrates’ Court on Monday, following a brief hearing on Friday after being taken into custody.
The pair were among a larger group of women and children who returned to Australia on Thursday amid chaotic airport scenes after languishing in a Syrian refugee camp for years.
Both are accused of multiple crimes against humanity and slavery crimes allegedly committed in Syria.
Detectives allege that Kawsar Ahmad, also known as Abbas, traveled to the area with his wife and children in 2014.
They allege he was complicit in purchasing a female slave for US$10,000 and knowingly kept the woman in his home.
He is accused of slavery, owning slaves, using slaves and trading slaves.
The charges issued by the court allege that the 53-year-old enslaved, possessed and used slaves between June 2017 and November 2018 in Mayadin, Hajin, Gharanji, Bahra, Abu Hamam, Walaa and other places in Syria’s Deiruz province.
It is alleged that young Ahmed knowingly kept a female slave in his home in Syria, at the same time the police accused him of enslavement and resorting to slavery crimes.
The document stated that the duo’s conduct was “committed intentionally or knowingly as part of a widespread or systemic attack against the civilian population.”
Police said the duo were detained by Kurdish forces in 2019 and held at the Al Roj Internally Displaced Persons camp along with other family members.
They are among three people returned after an almost decade-long investigation that began after the women traveled to the Middle East with partners allegedly intent on fighting for the Islamic State.
A third woman, Janai Safar, 32, who flew to Sydney, was arrested and charged with entering a restricted area and being a member of a terrorist organisation.
He was refused bail due to the seriousness of the charges and will return to court in July.
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