Salzburg IS Returnee Maria G. Sentenced to Conditional Imprisonment

The Salzburg IS returnee fully confessed during the trial. "I have thought a lot about my past radicalization and departure and can no longer explain how it could have happened," said Maria G. The verdict is already legally binding.

Fears for the future and disorientation as a breeding ground for the radicalization of Maria G.

Media interest was high on Wednesday. The prosecution accused the Salzburg woman, who was brought back to Austria in March 2025, of traveling to Syria in 2014 and joining the terrorist organization "Islamic State" (IS) - inspired by propaganda films. "However, nothing was found that could incriminate the accused beyond the fact of emigrating to the IS-controlled territory," admitted the prosecutor. In other words, she was not involved in any acts of war or atrocities.

"Some may say the accused turned her back on our free democratic society. But it's not about revenge; it's about reintegrating someone who made a wrong decision back into society," emphasized the prosecutor. The accused primarily harmed herself, her relatives, and her children through her behavior.

The accused suffered from panic attacks, fears for the future, and disorientation after a dramatic experience in her youth. Through her Muslim friend, she came into contact with Islam and likely became radicalized mainly through social media. At the end of 2013, G. converted to Islam. She broke up with her friend because he did not share her radical views.

Prosecution: "Consciously strengthened husbands in their fighting morale"

She married a German IS fighter via Skype according to Muslim rites and traveled to Syria via Istanbul on June 28, 2014. After a quick divorce from her first husband, she married another IS fighter from Denmark and gave birth to two sons - now eight and ten years old. In Syria, G. lived in various IS-controlled areas. She and her family were financially supported and provided with food by IS. According to the prosecution, she "consciously strengthened her husbands in their fighting morale as well as their affiliation and loyalty to IS through her presence."

In 2019, Maria G. managed to leave the last besieged IS stronghold with her sons via a humanitarian corridor. Her second husband was later killed in combat. G. was captured and initially detained for several months in the Al-Hol camp. From September 2020, she and her sons were in the Roj internment camp located in northern Syria. The young woman's family had been trying to bring her back to Austria since then. However, the Foreign Ministry initially only wanted to repatriate the two minor sons, which the mother refused. Finally, in the fall of 2024, the Federal Administrative Court ordered the repatriation of the woman and her two sons. On March 1, 2025, Maria G. was brought back to Austria with the children. She has been free since then.

Defender of Salzburg IS Returnee: "The Biggest Mistake of Her Life"

"The act was more than eleven years ago. My client was 17 years old at the time and had gone through psychologically stressful years. These circumstances made the radicalization possible in the first place," said her defender Doris Hawelka during the proceedings. G. had cooperated extensively with the investigative authorities and answered all questions in five interrogations totaling 20 hours.

Her client has also "done everything to create good conditions for her future life" since her repatriation. G. voluntarily started a deradicalization program after her return, sought probation assistance, and found not only a job but also a therapy place in the summer. "She is aware that leaving for Syria was the biggest mistake of her life. And she has, in a certain way, also paid the price for it." G. had effectively lived in captivity for eleven years, as life as a woman and mother in IS was nothing else. The six years in the two internment camps were terrible. "That was already the most severe punishment. There is no sanction in Austrian criminal law that would be worse than these six years." The Foreign Ministry deserves thanks for the repatriation of Maria G. "But unfortunately, important years - especially for the children - were wasted. This time is lost."

Salzburg IS Returnee Maria G.: "Hope the Court Gives Me a Chance"

G. herself did not want to comment further on her story on Wednesday, given the extensive interrogations by the investigators, but said that she and her children had experienced a lot of terrible things. "I am glad to be here again." After the verdict, she thanked the court for the second chance.

The defendant had no prior convictions. Due to the sentencing range of one to ten years imprisonment and her young age at the time of departure, the case was heard before a juvenile court. The court ordered probation assistance, further participation in deradicalization programs, and psychotherapy. The probation period for the suspended sentence is three years. As the judge stated in her reasoning, an unconditional sentence would have been counterproductive in G.'s case.

(APA/Red)

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