ISIS brides Kawsar Abbas and Zeinab Ahmad, charged with owning a female slave, are set to remain behind bars as they walk back plans to apply for bail at a hearing today.
Two ISIS brides who returned to Melbourne amid great political controversy have walked back plans for bail.
Defence lawyers acting on behalf of grandmother Kawsar Abbas, 54, and daughter Zeinab Ahmad, 31, last week declared the pair would launch a bid for freedom in the Melbourne Magistrates’ Court today.
However the Herald Sun understands their bail plans have now been put off and they will remain in custody.
Both women will still front court today for a brief filing hearing.
Accused of owning a female slave in Syria, purchased for $10,000 USD, the women are the first to be charged with ‘crimes against humanity’ offences which came into effect in 2002.
The laws signalled a major shift toward Australia taking on responsibility for trying its own citizens for world crimes rather than relying on the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague.
Attorney-General Michelle Rowland formally consented to the charges, a process required to ensure they are only applied in the most serious international matters.
The outcome of the ISIS brides’ case will set a major legal precedent for how Australia handles returning nationals from former conflict zones.
Ms Abbas is facing four crimes against humanity charges including enslavement and slave trading, while her daughter is facing two counts of crimes against humanity for using a slave.
The prosecution alleges their conduct was part of a “widespread or systematic attack directed against a civilian population”, namely the Yazidi people, under Islamic State rule between 2017-2018.
Each individual charge carries a maximum penalty of 25 years’ imprisonment.
The mother and daughter lived in the al-Roj refugee camp in Syria for seven years after leaving Australia to join their husbands.
Ms Abbas’ husband, Mohammed Ahmad, was suspected by the Australian Federal Police of running a registered charity that funnelled cash to Islamic State.
He has denied links to the terror group and is believed to be in an Iraqi jail along with other alleged ISIS fighters.
The women returned to Australia with two other ISIS brides, Janai Safar and Zahra Ahmad, and nine children.
Ms Safar was refused bail in Sydney on Friday after being charged with entering a declared zone and joining a terror group
Zahra Ahmad, widow of Islamic State recruiter Muhammad Zahab and daughter / sister of the two accused Melbourne women, was not arrested.
She was whisked away from the airport by supporters acting as security in highly confrontational scenes on Thursday.
