Mother-daughter 'ISIS bride' pair plead not guilty to slavery crimes

Mother and daughter 'ISIS bride' pair plead not guilty to slavery charges, with trial to comePosted Fri 31 Jul 2026 at 1:46pmFri 31 Jul 2026 at 1:46pmKawsar Ahmad, 54, faces slavery charges including engaging in slave trading. (ABC News)In shortKawsar Ahmad, 54, and Zeinab Ahmad, 31, have each entered not guilty pleas in relation to slavery charges they face from their time living under Islamic State rule.The mother and daughter were among so-called ISIS brides who returned to Australia in May after spending years held in a Syrian detention camp.What's next?The pleas of not guilty mean a Supreme Court trial will follow, with a directions hearing due to take place on August 21.A mother and daughter charged with slavery crimes while living under Islamic State rule in Syria have pleaded not guilty, fast-tracking their cases to Victoria's Supreme Court.Kawsar Ahmad, 54, and Zeinab Ahmad, 31, faced the Melbourne Magistrates Court via videolink and formally entered the pleas, meaning their cases will now proceed to trial.The women were part of a group, dubbed the "ISIS brides", who returned to Australia in May having spent years held in a Syrian detention camp.Prosecutors allege members of the Ahmad family moved to Syria about a decade ago and kept a slave in their home while supporting Islamic State.Kawsar Ahmad is charged with enslavement, possessing a slave, using a slave and engaging in slave trading.Zeinab Ahmad is facing two charges: enslavement and using a slave.Zeinab Ahmad, 31, remains in custody following a failed bid for bail. (Supplied: Anita Lester)The pair have opted to fast-track the case to the Supreme Court, skipping a committal hearing where prosecution evidence would be assessed by a magistrate.The first Supreme Court directions hearing will take place on August 21.Further pre-trial hearings will need to occur before a trial date can be set.The Australian Federal Police allege Kawsar Ahmad taught religious studies to the alleged slave, a Yazidi teenager part of an ethnic group persecuted by the Islamic State terrorist group.She was granted bail last month by Victoria's top magistrate Lisa Hannan.Her daughter Zeinab Ahmad was denied freedom however, with the same magistrate finding she had not established that "exceptional circumstances" existed to warrant her release on bail.Since returning home in May, lawyers for both women have said they do not support Islamic State or terrorist ideology.In June, Zeinab Ahmad's defence barrister Grace Morgan accepted there had been no "explicit" renunciation but said her client despised IS and the "men who enforced its ideals on her".Members of the Ahmad family spent years in the Al Roj detention camp in Syria after the fall of Islamic State and made impassioned pleas to the Australian government to be brought home.