Australia has allowed the return of the last Australian woman stranded in the Middle East on suspicion of links to ISIS. Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke said in a statement on Thursday that the temporary exclusion order preventing her return had expired and that Australia could not legally turn away its citizen.
Burke stated that the woman would face strict security measures upon her return to Australia. These measures include intensive surveillance and restrictions on computer and phone access. "There will be a very high level of scrutiny and surveillance, and we have gone to the full extent of the law," Burke said, emphasizing that security measures would be applied to the maximum extent.
The woman, whose name has not been disclosed, is the last of more than 30 women and children to return to Australia. Three women who returned earlier this year were immediately arrested on charges ranging from slavery to membership in a terrorist organization.
Dozens of women and children held for years in notorious detention camps in Syria after the collapse of the so-called ISIS caliphate are gradually being repatriated to Australia. In most cases, the women left Australia to follow their husbands who had joined jihadist fighters and have been publicly referred to as "ISIS brides."
Hundreds of women from Western countries were drawn to the Middle East during the period when ISIS was gaining power. Australia, Canada, the United Kingdom and other countries are still seeking solutions on how to treat their stranded citizens after the collapse of the organization.
The Australian Human Rights Commission had called on the government to help repatriate women and children stranded in detention camps in Syria. However, some argue that the women turned their backs on Australia and must face the consequences.
