Two ISIS-linked women facing slavery charges after return to Australia
CNN • • world
Key Points:
- Australian police have charged two women, aged 53 and 31, linked to ISIS with slavery offenses after their return from a Syrian refugee camp where they had been detained for over seven years; they face crimes against humanity charges with a maximum penalty of 25 years in prison.
- The women were arrested at Melbourne airport upon arrival and are accused of owning and using a female slave in Syria, having traveled there in 2014 with their families.
- Separately, a 32-year-old Australian woman was arrested at Sydney airport and charged with terror-related offenses for allegedly joining ISIS in 2015 to be with her husband.
- The return of these women and children from Syrian camps has sparked political pressure on the Australian government, which says it faces significant challenges in preventing citizens from re-entering the country.
- Since ISIS's territorial defeat, many relatives of suspected fighters have been detained in Syrian camps, with Australia repatriating some individuals in recent years while others remain in camps like al-Roj.
