In brief
- Another group of women and children is reportedly en route to Australia from a refugee camp in Syria.
- Social Services Minister Tanya Plibersek said they would face consequences if accused of any crimes.
A second contingent of Australian women and children, who have ties to the group known as the Islamic State (IS), has reportedly departed from a refugee camp in Syria.
Federal Minister Tanya Plibersek informed the ABC on Friday that this group would encounter the same legal repercussions as the first group did.
“If there are any allegations of criminal activity, they will be detained and prosecuted under the full extent of the law,” Plibersek confirmed.
According to the ABC, the group left the al-Roj detention facility on Thursday, with the network reporting that it witnessed the bus transporting these individuals.
The bus, part of a convoy under the escort of Syrian government officials, suggests that all Australians residing in the camp have now left. However, officials from the camp have refrained from commenting.
It is anticipated that the group will travel to Damascus, the capital, for flights back to Australia, although the exact schedule remains uncertain.
It comes after a group of four women and nine children with ties to the IS group arrived in Australia earlier in May after leaving the same refugee camp.
Three of the women in that group were arrested upon their arrival and remain in custody.
Two are facing charges relating to slavery, and the other was charged with joining a terrorist organisation and travelling to a declared conflict zone.
It is understood seven women and 14 children remained at the Syrian al-Roj camp following the departure of the first group.
One of the women has been given a temporary exclusion order, which bans them from entering Australia for a two-year period on national security grounds.
The group can to return to Australia from the refugee camp as they are citizens, but Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has insisted no support has been given to them.
“The US State Department has been very keen on people leaving those camps,” he told ABC Radio on Wednesday.
“There wasn’t a government person on the plane [with the previous cohort], because we weren’t providing any assistance, and won’t.”
The group is part of at least 34 Australian citizens — mainly women and children — who have been stuck in diplomatic limbo in the al-Roj camp since 2019 following the collapse of the IS group.
The story has generated significant political debate and scrutiny of the government, which has limited powers to prevent Australian citizens from returning home.
The government has firmly stated it has not assisted the group in any way, after facing Opposition backlash and accusations of facilitating the return. The government was under obligation to provide the group with passports and did so earlier this year.
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