Slavery Charges Bail
ISIS Bride Kawsar Ahmad Granted Strict Bail Amid Yazidi Slavery Charges
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Key Points
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A brother of Kawsar Ahmad has offered a $75,000 surety to secure her release on bail.
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As part of the bail package, Ahmad must report to police three times a week, be subject to nightly curfews, surrender travel documents, and face strict phone restrictions including owning only a single phone and not making calls outside Australia (along with providing a mobile number and PIN).
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Prosecutors allege the husband bought the Yazidi teenager as a slave for about $10,000 USD, and Ahmad allegedly agreed to the arrangement and subjected the girl to abuse.
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Ahmad and her husband moved to Syria in January 2015 to join Islamic State, taking their children with them.
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Ahmad and her daughter Zeinab were arrested on returning to Australia from Syria in May 2026; earlier, the pair were detained by Kurdish forces in March 2019 along with other family members.
A Melbourne woman accused of enslaving a Yazidi teenager while living under the Islamic State in Syria has been granted bail by an Australian court. Kawsar Ahmad, 54, walked free on June 26 under what Justice Michael Croucher called the most stringent bail conditions the court had seen "in some time," The Sydney Morning Herald reported.
Ahmad and her daughter Zeinab were arrested at Melbourne Airport in May 2026 after being repatriated from Syria, where they had been held in a Kurdish-run camp since 2019. Ahmad faces charges under Australia's Criminal Code for slavery and servitude offences allegedly committed on foreign soil, ABC News reported. Her daughter was denied bail in the same hearing.
What Prosecutors Say Ahmad Did in Syria
Ahmad and her husband left Melbourne for Syria in January 2015, taking their children with them to join ISIS. During the height of the caliphate, prosecutors allege her husband bought a 14-year-old Yazidi girl as a slave for about $10,000 USD, according to The Age. Ahmad allegedly agreed to the arrangement and managed the girl's daily servitude.
The prosecution pointed to one incident in which the teenager was allegedly dragged by the hair down a flight of stairs, The Sydney Morning Herald reported. Under Australian law, citizens can be charged at home for slavery crimes committed anywhere in the world. Prosecutors opposed bail, arguing the gravity of the charges required Ahmad to stay in custody.
Psychologist Report and the Case for Bail
A psychologist, Dr. Michael Patston, gave evidence that Ahmad "no longer holds extremist beliefs" and has been "profoundly affected" by years spent in Syrian detention camps, The Age reported. He said her time in the Al-Roj camp led her to reject ISIS ideology entirely.
Justice Croucher accepted the expert findings. He ruled that "the risk to the community is very low, and what risk remains can be mitigated" by strict supervision. Ahmad has not been convicted of any crime. Australian courts apply a presumption of innocence, even in national security cases.
Ahmad Must Follow a Long List of Strict Rules
The bail conditions are sweeping. Ahmad must report to police three times a week. She faces a nightly curfew from 9:00 PM to 6:00 AM. She cannot attend a mosque or make calls outside Australia, according to Sky News Australia. She must surrender all travel documents immediately.
Ahmad can own only one mobile phone. She must give its IMEI number and PIN to the Australian Federal Police for random checks. She must keep a daily log of all visitors to her home. Her brother posted a $75,000 AUD surety, which he will lose if she breaks any condition, The Age reported.
Yazidi Groups and Critics Push Back Hard
The decision drew quick criticism. A Yazidi community spokesperson told SBS News: "The idea that someone accused of buying and selling a human being can return to a normal life on bail is a bitter pill for our survivors to swallow." Yazidi advocacy groups described the ruling as causing fresh trauma.
Conservative commentators called the monitoring a costly drain on police resources, according to Sky News Australia. Human rights advocates took the opposite view, arguing a fair trial in Australia is the only path to real justice for the Yazidi victim. Around 30 to 40 Australian women and children remain in Syrian camps, and this ruling could push the government to bring more of them home.
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