Australian women denied bail over Syria slavery and terrorism charges
Three Australian women have been denied bail after appearing in court over allegations including slavery, crimes against humanity and terrorism-related offences linked to Syria.
The women were among a group of four women and nine children repatriated from the Roj camp in northeastern Syria, where they had been held for years before arriving in Australia on Thursday.
In Melbourne, 53-year-old Kawsar Abbas and her 31-year-old daughter Zeinab Ahmed were charged over allegations they purchased a Yazidi woman as a slave for $10,000.
Abbas faces four counts of crimes against humanity, while Ahmed is charged with two slavery offences.
In Sydney, 32-year-old Janai Safar was charged with being a member of a terrorist organisation and entering a region controlled by such a group.
A judge denied her bail after her lawyer argued for release on exceptional grounds.
The case matters because it brings together some of the most serious allegations yet brought in Australia over conduct linked to Islamic State in Syria.
It also shows authorities are still pursuing returnees years after the group lost territorial control.
Police allege the women travelled to Syria between 2014 and 2015 during the height of Islamic State's so-called caliphate.
