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Australia imposes two-year entry ban on IS-affiliated citizen
Canberra has barred one Australian associated with the Islamic State (IS) group from re-entering the country for up to two years, citing security concerns, Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke announced on Wednesday.
Group of 34 Australians stranded after repatriation attempt
The individual is part of a group of 34 Australian women and children who were recently released from a Syrian detention camp but were turned back by Syrian authorities due to "technical reasons." The group, believed to include wives, widows, and children of IS fighters, remains stranded. Among them are 23 children.
Government stance on repatriation
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese emphasized that the Australian government will not facilitate the group's return or provide support for their repatriation. "You make your bed, you lie in it," he stated during a press conference. "These are people who chose to align themselves with a brutal, reactionary ideology that seeks to undermine our way of life."
However, Albanese acknowledged that the government would not violate Australian law, despite reports that the group holds valid Australian passports. Legal experts have argued that the government has an obligation to allow citizens the right of return.
Security concerns and political reactions
Opposition politicians have raised alarms about the potential security risks of allowing the group to return. Liberal Party Senator Jonno Duniam questioned why only one individual was deemed a threat, while the remaining 33 were not. "How can only one member of this group be deemed a risk and the rest somehow okay?" he said on Tuesday, suggesting legislative amendments to bar more of the group.
Conditions in Syrian camps
The group was held in the al-Roj camp in northern Syria, one of several facilities where dozens of Australians have been detained since 2019, following the collapse of IS's territorial control. The camp houses over 2,000 individuals from 40 different nationalities, primarily women and children.
Among those detained is Shamima Begum, a British citizen stripped of her nationality in 2019 on national security grounds. Hakmiyeh Ibrahim, the camp's director, appealed to governments worldwide to repatriate their citizens, particularly the children. "They are growing up surrounded by dangerous ideas and ideologies," she told ABC. "The more time passes, the more complicated the situation becomes."
Conditions in these camps have drawn international attention, with reports of severe malnutrition and a lack of basic resources among the detainees.
International context
Australia is not alone in its reluctance to repatriate citizens from Syrian camps. Governments including France, the Netherlands, and the UK have also refused to bring back most of their nationals still held in Syria.
