Melbourne resident Kawsar Abbas, 54, was granted bail by Melbourne Magistrates Court on Friday, a decision that followed her daughter Zeinab Ahmad's unsuccessful bid for freedom in the same court the previous week. Both women face charges related to slavery offenses after their return to Australia with family members of former Islamic State fighters.
Prosecutors allege that Abbas traveled to Syria with her husband, Mohammad Ahmad, and their children around January 2015 to join ISIS. While in Syria in 2017, it is alleged that Mohammad Ahmad purchased a teenage girl, who he then reportedly held as a slave and subjected to rape and assault. Kawsar Abbas is accused of agreeing to the purchase and mistreating the girl, including making threats of physical violence, though she is not alleged to have physically assaulted the victim herself.
Detective Senior Constable Marc Clendenning opposed bail, citing concerns that Abbas posed a risk to the community and might spread extremist ideology if released. Abbas faces charges including enslavement, possessing a slave, using a slave, and engaging in slave trading.
Ahmad's defense barrister, Peter Morrissey SC, had argued that his client did not support ISIS and that stringent bail conditions, such as a ban on attending mosques, would mitigate any perceived risk. Ultimately, Chief Magistrate Lisa Hannan determined that the risk could be sufficiently managed by strict bail conditions, leading to Abbas being granted bail. She is expected to be released from Melbourne Magistrates Court on Friday.