Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said Tuesday that his government would not assist Australians held in a Syrian camp for families of suspected Islamic State members in returning home, but would pursue prosecutions if they do return.
“We have a very firm view that we won’t be providing assistance or repatriation,” Albanese told ABC News.
Thirty-four Australians released Monday from a camp in northern Syria were later returned to the detention center for “technical reasons,” two sources told Reuters.
Often referred to in local media as “IS brides” — though the group also includes children — they are expected to travel to Damascus before eventually returning to Australia, despite objections from lawmakers in both the ruling party and the opposition.
A spokesperson for Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke said security agencies were monitoring the situation in Syria and that anyone who had broken the law would be prosecuted.
“People in this cohort need to know that if they have committed a crime and if they return to Australia they will be met with the full force of the law,” he said.
Islamic State is designated a terrorist organization in Australia. Membership is punishable by up to 25 years in prison. Authorities also have the power to strip dual nationals of citizenship if they are members of the group.
Surge in right-wing populism
The potential return of relatives of suspected Islamic State members has become a political flashpoint, amid rising support for the right-wing, anti-immigration One Nation party led by Pauline Hanson.
“They hate Westerners, and that’s what it’s all about. You say there’s great Muslims out there, well I’m sorry, how can you tell me there are good Muslims?” Hanson said in an interview with Sky News on Monday following reports of the families’ possible return.
Her remarks were criticized by members of her own party.
A poll this week showed One Nation’s share of the vote at a record 26%, higher than the combined support for the traditional center-right coalition currently in opposition.
Sarah Henderson, a senator from the Liberal Party, which has seen support eroded by One Nation, said Tuesday that Australians with sympathies toward Islamic State should be barred from reentering the country.
“If these are people who subscribed to ISIS ideology, who subscribe to this extremist ideology, then they should not be returning to Australia,” she told ABC.
Under Australian and international law, citizens have a legal right to enter the country.