IS-linked mother and daughter charged with crimes against humanity including slavery face Melbourne court

Two Australian women charged with committing crimes against humanity including slavery offences during the rule of Islamic State 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 (JCTT) at Melbourne airport on Thursday. A third woman, Janai Safar, 32, is expected to appear in a Sydney court on Friday charged with entering a declared conflict zone and joining a terrorist organisation. Kawsar and Zeinab Ahmad were charged with crimes against humanity including enslavement and using a slave. Kawsar Ahmad was also charged with possessing a slave and engaging in slave trading, Australian Federal Police confirmed on Friday. Police will allege the pair travelled to Syria in 2014 with their family and knowingly kept a female slave in their home, AFP said in a statement. They will additionally allege that the 53-year-old, who travelled to Syria with her husband, was complicit in the purchase of a female slave for US$10,000. The enslavement offences each carry a maximum penalty of 25 years’ imprisonment. Kawsar Ahmad’s eldest daughter, 33-year-old Zahra Ahmad, was not arrested or charged. The women arrived with eight children. Two Victorian women arrested in Melbourne after their return from Syria Safar was charged in Sydney with allegedly entering a declared conflict zone and joining Islamic state. …