Australia Charges Repatriated Islamic State Group Widow

An Australian woman appeared in court Friday charged with entering or remaining in an area controlled by the Islamic State militant group. Police allege Mariam Raad chose to travel to the Middle East to join her husband in 2014 and was aware of his activities with the terrorist organization.


Raad was repatriated by Australia with her children from a Kurdish-run detention camp in Syria last October.


She was charged following a joint investigation between New South Wales Police and the Australian Federal Police. Investigators have reportedly used recently obtained evidence to charge her.


Raad appeared Friday in court in the town of Griffith, 600 kilometers west of Sydney. Her husband is believed to have died in 2018.


If found guilty, she faces up to 10 years' imprisonment.


Her defense lawyer argued there was "no evidence" she was an ongoing threat to the community. Australian Treasurer Jim Chalmers agreed but told local media Friday that Raad would continue to be monitored. Chalmers was the only senior government minister to speak to the media Friday.


She was granted bail under strict conditions.


Donald Rothwell, an Australian National University international law professor, told the Australian Broadcasting Corp. On Friday others in the group of four Australian women repatriated in October by Australia and recently returned from a Kurdish-run detention camp in Syria could face charges. The women were all married to Islamic State fighters now dead or in jail.


“The Albanese government and the minister made it quite clear that when these women were repatriated from Syria that they would not enjoy any immunity from the application of Australian law and that indeed the full force of Australian law would certainly be brought down against the women if they were found to have in any way been in breach of Australian law,” he said.


In October, the repatriated women released a statement saying they would “fully cooperate with all Australian law enforcement agencies.”


Australia’s conservative opposition said charges filed against Raad showed it was not in the national interest to bring home the wives, widows and children of Islamic State group fighters.


There are about 40 Australia women and children still held in detention camps in Syria waiting to be repatriated.


Raad is expected to appear in court again in March.