An Australian woman has been released on charges of infiltrating ISIS-controlled Syria amid heated debate about her danger to society.
Mariam Raad, 31, is one of several Australian women whose husbands have been killed or imprisoned after joining ISIS. Last October, Australia returned four women and 13 children from a Syrian refugee camp.
Maryam, who lived in Yong, New South Wales, was arrested for the first time on Thursday. The federal and state police executed arrest warrants at her and a relative’s home in Sydney.
Maryam was charged with entering the territory of Syria, which was under the control of terrorists, which is a violation of federal law. If found guilty, she faces up to 10 years in prison.
It stipulated that Maryam, in order to be released on bail, must surrender her passport and prevent her from contacting anyone in prison or with anyone associated with a terrorist group. It was also forbidden to acquire any weapons.
Her lawyer, Mustafa Khair, said the court heard “a body of evidence” showing Maryam worked hard to reintegrate herself and her family into society. This is a low risk.
Federal Chancellor of the Exchequer Jim Chalmers said the returning women did not pose a threat to society, but authorities would continue to monitor them.
But Deputy Opposition Leader Susan Lai said the problem was previously limited to parts of Sydney and has now spread across Australia, adding: “We don’t know where these people have been relocated, what communities have been compromised or where they are. moving.”
Source: AP
