Australian PM Issues 5 Bold Words as 3 ISIS-Linked Women Face Slavery Charges After Syria Return

Three Australian women were arrested at the airport while returning from Syria. They face slavery-related charges allegedly committed under Islamic State rule. ISIS rule is a rigid system based on an extreme interpretation of Sharia law. It was enforced at its peak from 2014 to 2017.

Kawsar Ahmad, 53, also known as Abbas, was arrested on Thursday at Melbourne Airport. Her daughter Zeinab Ahmad, 31, was also arrested. Officers from the Victorian joint counter-terrorism team made the arrests. Both women remain in custody. According to the BBC, Kawsar Ahmad faces four charges of crimes against humanity. Prosecutors claim she allegedly kept an enslaved woman in her home.

The Guardian reports that court documents on Friday stated that Kawsar Ahmad is also charged with “any or all of the powers attaching to the right of ownership” over a person, in situations “where the conduct was committed intentionally or knowingly as part of a widespread or systemic attack directed against a civilian population.”

Zeinab Ahmad also faces two similar charges. Both women appeared before Chief Magistrate Lisa Hannan. Neither woman spoke during the brief court appearance. Their prosecutors said bail requests would be made later. Zeinab allegedly kept an enslaved woman in the household and knowingly engaged in these activities.

According to ABC Net, the offences carry a maximum sentence of 25 years in prison. Meanwhile, a third woman, Janai Safar, 32, returned to Australia with her son. She appeared separately in a Sydney court. She remains in custody. She is expected to appear in court again in July 2026.

Safar reportedly traveled to Syria in 2015 and joined her husband. He had previously left Australia to join the Islamic State. The group seeks to create a self-proclaimed caliphate through harsh laws of control.

Janai Safar has been charged with entering and remaining in a declared conflict zone. She also faces a charge of being a member of a terrorist group. Each offence carries a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison. A third woman, Zahra Ahmad, 33, was not arrested. However, police are taking the matter seriously and continuing their inquiry.

According to the Australian Federal Police, four women and nine children returned to Australia on Thursday. These women were among those returned.

They were part of a larger group of 34 Australian women and children. This group had been living in the al-Roj detention camp in Syria since 2019. They ended up there after the Islamic State territory collapsed. At that point, family members of the caliphate were detained in camps across Syria.

The group earlier tried to leave the camp in February to return to Australia; however, the government declined to assist them, and as a result, they were sent back due to technical reasons. The department also revealed that one member of the wider group had earlier been banned from returning to the country. Moreover, a temporary exclusion order blocked re-entry for up to two years.

According to Reuters, the arrest of the women sparked chaos at the airport, with media present. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese defended the decision to let the women return home. The women had been linked to the Islamic State. He said the government aims to pursue the strongest legal action against them.

Speaking during a radio interview with Nova Melbourne, Albanese said, “Australian citizens are entitled to Australian passports. They’re entitled to come into Australia.” He added, “What we’re entitled to do, though, is to throw the book at them, and that’s precisely what we’re doing.”

Later, the prime minister held a press conference. He expressed concern for the children brought back from Syria. He described them as “victims of decisions that their parents have made.” “It is appropriate that they undergo support,” he said.

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