The federal government has issued a stern warning that certain individuals among the group known as the ISIS brides might encounter severe legal consequences after a failed attempt to leave Syria.
This group includes 34 Australians—11 women labeled as ISIS brides and 23 children—who have been in a remote facility for seven years since the caliphate fell in 2019.
According to Syria’s information ministry, as reported by the Associated Press, a contingent of 13 was stopped from boarding a plane when the foreign ministry learned that “the Australian government had refused to accept them.”
“These families remain in limbo, awaiting a resolution that can only be reached through collaboration with international stakeholders,” stated the information ministry.
Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke reiterated today that the government’s stance is firm: “We will not repatriate. We will not assist.”
He indicated that some group members might be subjected to “the full force of the law” if they were to return to Australia.
“This is not a cohesive group, so we shouldn’t be expecting that every individual will have the identical legal challenges of some,” he said.
“I leave it to the Australian Federal Police to make announcements or to choose not to make announcements. There is no way I will interfere with anything operationally.
“But I will say this: anyone who has broken the law will face the full force of the law and I suspect some of these individuals will be weighing up whether they want to come back to Australia ever.”
The US has also been pressuring countries to repatriate their citizens from the Al-Roj camp.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said he has “indicated our position for some time”.
Yesterday, Albanese and Foreign Affairs Minister Penny Wong both told reporters that the government was not helping nor repatriating the group.
The group had attempted to return to Australia in February but were forced to return to the camp on an unspecified technicality.
Burke was able to temporarily ban one woman from entering Australia but had no legal grounds to deny passports or temporarily ban any others.
The group’s inevitable return and recent attempts have sparked fierce debate, with Labor and the Coalition agreeing the group should not be allowed into the country, while the Greens and organisations such as Save the Children Australia are calling for the children to be returned safely.
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