Three women, part of a group of 13 Australians coming back from Syria, were apprehended at airports on Thursday over allegations of involvement in slavery and terrorism within the former caliphate of the Islamic State group, as stated by the police. The individuals, including four women and nine children who had been residing in Roj Camp in the Syrian desert, arrived on two Qatar Airways flights from Doha on Thursday, following the Australian government’s announcement of their return.
Stephen Nutt, the assistant commissioner for counter-terrorism at the Australian Federal Police, mentioned that a 53-year-old woman landing at Melbourne Airport would be charged by Friday with four crimes against humanity, including possessing a slave and engaging in slave trading. Another woman, aged 31, who also arrived in Melbourne, would face charges related to two slavery offenses, each carrying a maximum penalty of 25 years in prison, according to Nutt.
A third woman, aged 32, arrived at Sydney airport with her son and is set to be charged with membership in a terrorist organization and being in a region controlled by a terrorist group, with each charge carrying a maximum sentence of 10 years behind bars. It was considered illegal under Australian law to travel to Raqqa, the former stronghold of the Islamic State group in Syria, without a valid reason from 2014 to 2017.
Authorities in Australia had condemned these women for their support of Islamic State militants via their travel to Syria and had previously declined to assist in repatriating them. Investigations have been ongoing for over a decade concerning Australians’ potential involvement in atrocities during their time in Syria.
Deakin University’s extremism expert, Joshua Roose, highlighted that Australian authorities were looking into various abuses within the caliphate, such as the enslavement of Yazidi women and the strict enforcement of sharia law. Roose emphasized that women had also been involved in some of the most severe forms of violence, indicating the complexity of the situation.
According to ABC reporter Bridget Rollason, who was on the flight from Doha to Melbourne, some of the women revealed they had spent up to 12 years in Syria, with children born in dire conditions within the camps. Despite facing potential arrest, the women expressed their willingness to endure it for the sake of their children and their desire to bring them back to Australia. One woman mentioned her longing for a simple pleasure like having coffee on Little Collins Street in Melbourne again.
Save the Children, an aid agency focusing on child welfare, previously attempted to compel the Australian government in 2024 to repatriate citizens from Syrian camps but was unsuccessful. The chief executive of Save the Children Australia, Mat Tinkler, stressed the importance of prioritizing the well-being of the children returning and providing them with the opportunity to reintegrate into normal life in Australia.
Australian authorities have facilitated the repatriation of Australian women and children from Syrian detention camps on two occasions, while some individuals have returned independently without government support.