A group of Australian women known as ISIS brides, along with their children, are expected to land in Australia within days and have been warned they may face arrest and charges for 'very serious' offences. Health Minister Mark Butler stated on Friday morning that the cohort, comprising six women and 14 children, could face the full force of the law upon their arrival.
'They have the legal right as Australian citizens to make their own way back to the Australian border,' Butler told Sunrise. 'But if they've committed any offence, they'll be met at that border, as we saw a few weeks ago with police and charged potentially with very serious offences.'
The group was spotted leaving Syria's Al Roj internment camp on Thursday afternoon local time, heading towards Damascus, where they are expected to continue their journey to Australia. One woman is expected to remain in Syria after being subject to an exclusion order imposed by the Albanese government. Her children will leave Al Roj with other members of the group, according to the ABC.
Sources previously quoted by The Australian confirmed that urgent negotiations had been underway to extract the group. Approvals have been sought to finalise flight arrangements, as family members, government officials, or helpers are not on the ground. The group is expected to return to Australia as early as next Tuesday, coinciding with Eid al-Adha, the Islamic holiday commemorating sacrifice, though the timing remains contingent on travel arrangements.
This comes just weeks after four women and nine children touched down in Australia. Three of those women were immediately remanded into custody and charged with historic crimes against humanity-related offences. Melbourne grandmother Kawsar Abbas, 53, and her younger daughter Zeinab, 31, were refused bail after facing multiple slavery charges. Abbas's eldest daughter, Zahra Ahmad, 33, was the only woman not to be arrested.
Janai Safar, who landed in Sydney with her nine-year-old son, was charged with joining a terrorist organisation and travelling to a declared conflict zone. Australian Federal Police investigators had been ready to charge Safar with being a member of a terrorist organisation seven years ago while she was still in Syria. A court attendance notice for Safar was prepared on 8 May 2019 but could not be served until she was arrested at Sydney Airport earlier this month. The notice listed Safar's address in 2019 as Roj Camp, Hasakah, Syria, and the charges were intended to come before Queanbeyan Local Court. She remains behind bars at Silverwater Women's Correctional Centre in Sydney's west.
News of the three women's arrests appears to have prompted anger within the Al Roj camp, where they lived for seven years. A German-born woman in the camp said it was 'not good' that Australia had arrested the women, whom she called 'our sisters'. 'What do they want with women and kids?' Um Shamel told the ABC. 'These little kids need [their] mama.' Shamnel said she believed the remaining cohort of Australian ISIS brides would delay or reconsider travelling home after watching news of the arrests on TV.
Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke first announced the impending arrival of the four women and nine children a fortnight ago.
