Australia won't repatriate 34 women and children from Syria

The Australian authorities will not repatriate from Syria a group of 34 women and children pinch alleged ties to nan Islamic State group, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said Tuesday.

The women and children from 11 families were expected to alert from nan Syrian superior Damascus to Australia but Syrian authorities connected Monday turned them backmost to Roj campy successful northeast Syria because of procedural problems, officials said.

Only 2 groups of Australians person been repatriated pinch authorities thief from Syrian camps since nan autumn of nan Islamic State group successful 2019. Other Australians person besides returned without authorities assistance.

Albanese would not remark connected a study that nan latest women and children had Australian passports.

“We’re providing perfectly nary support and we are not repatriating people,” Albanese told Australian Broadcasting Corp. successful Melbourne.

“We person nary sympathy, frankly, for group who traveled overseas successful bid to participate successful what was an effort to found a caliphate to undermine, destroy, our measurement of life. And so, arsenic my mother would say, ‘You make your bed, you dishonesty successful it,’” Albanese added.

Albanese noted that nan kid welfare-focused world kindness Save nan Children had grounded to found successful Australia’s courts that nan Australian authorities had a work to repatriate citizens from Syrian camps.

After nan national tribunal ruled successful nan government's favour successful 2024, Save nan Children Australia main executive Mat Tinkler based on nan authorities had a moral, if not legal, responsibility to repatriate families.

Albanese said if nan latest group made their measurement to Australia without authorities help, they could beryllium charged.

It was an discourtesy nether Australian rule to recreation to nan erstwhile Islamic State stronghold of al-Raqqa state without a morganatic logic from 2014 to 2017. The maximum punishment was 10 years successful prison.

“It’s unfortunate that children are impacted by this arsenic well, but we are not providing immoderate support. And if anyone does negociate to find their measurement backmost to Australia, past they’ll look nan afloat unit of nan law, if immoderate laws person been broken,” Albanese added.

The past group of Australians to beryllium repatriated from Syrian camps arrived successful Sydney successful October 2022.

They were 4 mothers, erstwhile partners of Islamic State supporters, and 13 children.

Australian officials had assessed nan group arsenic nan astir susceptible among 60 Australian women and children held successful Roj camp, nan authorities said astatine nan time.

Eight offspring of 2 slain Australian Islamic State fighters were repatriated from Syria successful 2019 by nan blimpish authorities that preceded Albanese’s center-left Labor Party administration.

The rumor of Islamic State supporters resurfaced successful Australia aft nan killings of 15 group astatine a Jewish show astatine Bondi Beach connected Dec. 14. The attackers were allegedly inspired by IS.