Austrian women in Syria: withdrawal remains uncertain!

Austrian women in Syria: withdrawal remains uncertain!

Roj, Syrien - The return of Maria G. to Austria is a explosive case that has caused excitement since October 2023. The Federal Administrative Court decided that it has to be brought back with her two children from the Syrian internment camp Roj, but there is no precise return period. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has emphasized that security concerns still prevent immediate withdrawal. Maria G. joined the terrorist organization of Islamic State (IS) at the age of 17 and claims to have now got out of it. In Austria, however, there are legal consequences that could be punished in the form of a prison sentence. According to the Austria Press Agency (APA), Austrian teams are on site to monitor the situation, but no further information on the safety of the team is published.

internment and security opportunities

parallel to Maria G.'s situation, the administrative internment, as was practiced in France's history, raises questions. This form of internment is not bound to a specific crime, but is based on the assessment that the people concerned could be a potential danger to society. An example of the origin of this practice is the law of 1938, which has enabled the internment of "undesirable foreigners". Between 1938 and 1946, almost 600,000 people were recorded in over 200 camps. This dark chapter of history shows how government policy can lead to mass locking up without clear reasons for the rule of law, and illustrates the dangers that recover such measures for individual freedom.

This historical parallel to Maria G.'s return illustrates how the topics of security and social control have changed over the years, but also reinforced. The political scientist and Islam expert Thomas Schmidinger reported that many women who live in the internment camps are unsettled-some feel even more alienated by the Austrian attitude to return. According to Schmidinger, around ten Austrian citizens are still suspected in the camps. It will be exciting to observe how Austria deals with the challenges that bring back such returns and possible deradicalization measures, while the security situation in the conflict areas is further.