Australian women accused of slavery in Islamic State territory in Syria face Melbourne court

Two Australian women charged with slavery offences that allegedly occurred while they lived under Islamic State rule in Syria have faced a Melbourne court.

Kawsar Ahmad, 53, also known as Abbas, and her daughter, Zeinab Ahmad, 31, were arrested by officers from the Victorian joint counter-terrorism team at Melbourne airport on Thursday.

Police allege the pair travelled to Syria in 2014 with their family and knowingly kept an enslaved woman in their home, and that Kawsar was complicit in the buying of an enslaved woman for US$10,000.

The pair appeared before the chief magistrate, Lisa Hannan, on Monday.

But the Melbourne magistrates court heard that they would not be applying for bail, as had been foreshadowed on Friday.

Zeinab is expected to apply for bail at a hearing on 4 June, with Kawsar’s application expected on 16 June, the court heard.

Peter Morrissey SC, for Kawsar, told the court that he expected that “other issues” would arise during Zeinab’s application, and how they were handled would inform the bail bid made by his client.

Neither woman was required to speak or enter a plea during the short hearing, before they were remanded in custody.

The Australian federal police will allege the offences were terrorism-related and are expected to oppose bail.

Court documents, released to the media on Friday, show Kawsar is accused of intentionally exercising “any or all of the powers attaching to the right of ownership” over a person, in circumstances “where the conduct was committed intentionally or knowingly as part of a widespread or systemic attack directed against a civilian population”.

She is also accused of “intentionally exercising” the “powers attaching to right of ownership” regarding the use and possession of a slave. Zeinab faces the same two charges.

The offences allegedly occurred between 1 June 2017 and 1 November 2018 at Mayadin, Hajim, Gharanij, Bahra, Abu Hamam, Walaa and other places in Deir ez-Zur province, in eastern Syria.

On or about 1 June 2017, in Mayadin or elsewhere in the same province, Kawsar Ahmad is also accused of intentionally engaging in slave trading.