Janai Safar, identified as an 'ISIS bride', has been denied bail following her arrival in Australia. A judge cited a lack of "exceptional circumstances" to warrant her release. Safar, who arrived at Sydney Airport on Thursday night, appeared in an online bail court on Friday where her application was refused. She has been taken to Silverwater Women's Correctional Centre. Her son is reportedly with his grandfather.
The legal proceedings unfold as several other women with suspected links to the Islamic State group also return to Australia, facing various charges including those related to enslavement.
Safar's arrest and bail denial come as part of a larger repatriation of individuals linked to IS. She was among four women and nine children who departed from the Al-Roj detention camp in northeastern Syria. Safar has previously expressed disinclination to return to Australia, stating she does not regret living under Islamic State rule.
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Legal Battles Unfold
While Safar was denied bail in Sydney, two other women, Kawsar Ahmad, 53, and Zeinab Ahmad, 31, arrived in Melbourne. They appeared in court and are also being held in custody pending a bail application on Monday. Kawsar Ahmad, identified as a grandmother, and her adult daughter Zeinab Ahmad, are facing charges related to enslavement offences. One report indicates a 53-year-old woman from Victoria will be charged with enslavement, possessing a slave, using a slave, and engaging in slave trading, while a 31-year-old woman faces charges of enslavement and using a slave.
Another woman, Zahra Ahmad, described as the widow of an IS recruiter, was among those who arrived in Melbourne but reportedly left the airport as a free woman. Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke had acknowledged awareness of the women's return.
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Background of Returnees
The return of these individuals marks not the first instance of Australian citizens coming back from Syrian detention camps. Reports suggest the group departed Syria nearly two weeks prior to their arrival on Australian shores. Australia's Human Rights Commission had previously advocated for the repatriation of 34 women and children held in the Roj detention camp. Safar claims she felt vulnerable and alone while living in IS territory, stating she was under constant surveillance. It remains unclear how Safar initially came to be in Syria, where she reportedly married an Australian man involved with IS.
