Sydney nurses challenge validity of charges over alleged threats to Israelis
Two Sydney nurses accused of threatening to kill Israeli patients on social media have launched a constitutional challenge to the High Court of Australia against the validity of their charges. Ahmad Nadir, 28, and Sarah Abu Lebdeh, 27, argue that the charges unlawfully burden their implied right of political communication. The challenge could substantially delay or even derail their trial, currently scheduled for 12 October 2026.
The pair pleaded not guilty to being menacing and offensive after allegedly refusing to treat Israeli patients and threatening violence against them on the video chat platform Chatruletka. Their constitutional challenge mirrors a previous case brought by Muslim cleric Man Haron Monis, though that appeal was rejected when High Court judges split their decision. In June 2026, a judge ruled inadmissible a video of the alleged anti-Semitic comments, which was recorded without the nurses' consent, dealing a significant blow to the prosecution's case.
- Two Sydney nurses challenge anti-Semitic threat charges in Australia's High Court.
- Their argument rests on constitutional protection of political communication rights.
- A key prosecution video was already ruled inadmissible, weakening the case.
New here? Start with this
Two Sydney nurses face charges of being menacing and offensive after allegations that they refused to treat patients of Israeli nationality and made threatening comments about them online. The disputed remarks were made on a social media video chat platform.
Rather than defend themselves at trial, the nurses are asking Australia's highest court to rule that their charges are unlawful. They argue that the charges unfairly restrict their right to speak about political matters and that comments about Israel should be protected as political speech. If the court agrees, the case could be dismissed without a trial.
A similar legal challenge was previously brought by cleric Man Haron Monis, although it failed. The prosecution has already faced difficulties after a court ruled that video evidence of the alleged comments cannot be used, since it was recorded without the nurses' consent.
Read the full article at the source →
Originally published by Daily Mail as “Sydney nurses accused of vile anti-Semitic threats take fight to Australia’s highest court”.