Four women linked to ISIS, along with nine children, have recently returned to Australia from Syria. One of the women has been charged in Sydney with travelling to Syria in 2015 to join ISIS, including entering a declared conflict zone and becoming a member of a terrorist organisation.
In a separate development, two women were arrested by the Australian Federal Police (AFP) upon arrival in Melbourne. They are accused of crimes against humanity, including slavery and slave trading, offences that carry a maximum penalty of 25 years’ imprisonment.
The accused include 53-year-old Kawsar Abbas and 31-year-old Zeinab. The AFP alleges that Abbas participated in the purchase of a female slave for US$10,000, allegedly aware that the victim was being held captive in a household. Zeinab is accused of both enslaving and using a slave. Legal experts have described the case as one of the first major prosecutions in Australia involving alleged crimes against humanity.
A key part of the case relies on testimony from two Yazidi women, who told ABC’s Foreign Correspondent in 2023 that they were abducted by ISIS as children and later taken to a residence linked to an Australian family in Syria, where they were forced into domestic labour. One of the women, Sarab, said she was only 13 at the time and was treated as a slave, subjected to prolonged control and abuse. Another woman, Tayseer, alleged she was repeatedly sexually assaulted by the male head of the household.
The family involved is linked to Melbourne man Mohammed Ahmad, who denies all allegations, stating his family had travelled to Syria for a wedding and became trapped in ISIS-controlled territory.
The AFP said investigations into Australians linked to ISIS began in 2014, with evidence gathered over years in Syrian conflict zones. Police believe the threshold for prosecution has now been met.
Commentary:
Australia has had very few successful prosecutions for crimes against humanity, making this case a historic legal milestone. However, because the alleged conduct took place in war-torn Syria and may involve issues of coercion and duress, future proceedings are expected to be highly complex.
More broadly, Australia now faces a long-term challenge: how to balance national security, accountability for international crimes, and the fairness of its justice system in a sustainable way. The outcome of this case may also set an important precedent for how Australia deals with returnees from conflict zones in the future.