Australian woman denied bail over Yazidi slave abuse

An Australian woman accused of living with a teenage Yazidi slave while in Syria has been denied bail in Melbourne after prosecutors detailed allegations that the girl was repeatedly raped and beaten by the woman’s father. Zeinab Ahmad, 31, faces two charges of crimes against humanity, specifically enslavement and the use of a slave.

The allegations were presented in the Melbourne Magistrates’ Court on Thursday during Ahmad’s bail application. Australian Federal Police allege that in 2017, while Ahmad was living with her family in Raqqa, Syria, her father, Mohammed Ahmad, purchased a 15-year-old Yazidi girl for approximately $10,000. According to police, the girl was forced into domestic labor and subjected to repeated sexual assaults by Mohammed over a period of 16 months.

Court documents state the teenager reported being beaten up to three times a month in front of the family. In one alleged incident, Mohammed hit the girl and dragged her by her hair down two flights of stairs. The girl told investigators she screamed loudly during assaults, which authorities say indicates other household members would have been aware. While police do not allege Zeinab Ahmad physically...