Two ‘ISIS brides’ charged with alleged slavery offences after returning to Melbourne

The women were arrested soon after arriving from Syria.

Two so-called “ISIS brides” have been charged with alleged crimes against humanity just hours after arriving back in Australia from Syria.

The women, aged 51 and 53, were arrested soon after their flight from Doha touched down at Melbourne International Airport on Thursday night.

They had travelled from Syria amid an ongoing saga to return to Australia following their detainment by Kurdish forces in March 2019.

Both will face Melbourne Magistrates Court on Friday, charged with a number of slavery allegations.

Police will allege in 2014 the older woman travelled with her husband and children to Syria where she was “complicit in the purchase of a female slave for US$10,000 and knowingly kept the woman in the home”.

She has been charged with enslavement, possessing a slave, using a slave and engaging in slave trading.

The younger woman also allegedly travelled to Syria in 2014 with her family and kept a female slave in the home.

She was charged with enslavement and using a slave.

Australian Federal Police say both women now face up to 25 years behind bars if convicted.

Both women were detained by Kurdish forces in March 2019 before being held at a refugee camp with other family members.

Another woman, 32, was arrested in Sydney and charged with entering or remaining in a declared area and being a member of a terrorist organisation.

Both offences carry a maximum penalty of 10 years’ imprisonment if convicted.

She is expected to appear before a Sydney court on Friday.

Political debate rages over ‘ISIS brides’

The charges were laid after the federal government was earlier criticised for the handling of the return of the women and nine children.

“The government should be doing everything it can to prevent them coming back to the country, and they haven’t,” Opposition Leader Angus Taylor said on Thursday.

The Australian government claims it didn’t assist the group returning here, other than to provide passports as it would any Australian citizen.

“These women have been under investigation now for, I think, the best part of 10 years,” Federal Education Minister Jason Clare said.

“This is not their first rodeo. The federal police have done this before.”

Uncertain future for children of ‘ISIS brides’

For the nine children arriving back in Australia, they face a future of supervised care, community integration programs and resettlement at an undisclosed location.

“By all means, you want to imprison them, you want to put them in front of the courts, do so. However, I ask your viewers, what sin have the kids committed?” the Lebanese Muslim Association’s Gamel Kheir said.

“When we have murderers, we rehabilitate them. Why can’t we rehabilitate young kids?”

Mat Tinkler from Save the Children said, “some kids may need more targeted de-radicalisation, reintegration or mental health support”.

“I think it’s been handled very poorly overall. They deserve our support. They are innocent and they are Aussies at the end of the day,” Tinkler said.

NSW Premier Chris Minns agreed.

“The kids have got nothing to do with this,” he told reporters. “They didn’t make the decision to travel to Syria and the Middle East.”

Minns and Victorian Premier Jacinta Allan both confirmed state police would help monitor the returnees.

“What I’m focused on is Victoria’s community safety and that is the priority of Victoria Police,” Allan said.