Shamima Begum loses bid to regain UK citizenship
In 2015, at the age of 15, Ms Begum became a member of the Islamic State group.
Written by legal correspondent Andre Rhoden-Paul and Dominic Casciani, this section of the blog discusses legal matters.
Shamima Begum's attempt to reclaim her British nationality has been declined by the Court of Appeal.
This decision implies that the individual who is 24 years old needs to stay back in Syria. The reason behind the government removing their citizenship on the grounds of national security dates back to 2019.
When Ms Begum was 15 years old, she departed from London to Syria with the intention of joining the Islamic State group, also known as IS. This occurred approximately nine years ago.
The verdict given by three judges in the appeal was agreed upon by all of them. Ms. Begum could still dispute it in the Supreme Court.
According to her lawyer, Daniel Furner, her legal representatives will continue their efforts to ensure that justice is served and that she returns home safely. They will persist until their objective is achieved.
Nevertheless, all of the arguments presented by Ms Begum were completely dismissed by the judges, which could have a major impact on her chances of obtaining a complete appeal at the Supreme Court.
The female Chief Justice, Baroness Carr, has expressed her opinion that the ruling in the case of Ms Begum may be considered very strict. In addition, she has suggested it is also possible to argue that Ms Begum herself is responsible for the difficulties she is facing.
However, it is not within the jurisdiction of this court to express agreement or disagreement with either perspective.
Our sole responsibility is to determine if the ruling to deprive was illegal. We have come to the decision that it was not, and therefore the appeal is rejected.
The lawyers of Ms Begum took her case to the Court of Appeal after an unsuccessful hearing last year. They claimed that the Home Office had made an illegal decision in revoking her citizenship. The argument was based on the claim that the British officials did not give due consideration to the possibility of Ms Begum being a victim of trafficking.
According to Sir James Eadie KC, who represented the Home Office, the most important aspect of the case was related to the country's security.
He stated that despite a person being radicalized and possibly influenced, it is still accurate to perceive them as a risk to the country's security.
The decision made by the government is a major win and prevents a possible legal issue. If the ruling were to be changed, home secretaries would have to weigh the importance of national security against whether or not an individual is being victimized.
After the court's judgment, the Home Office announced that it was happy with the decision made on Friday. They also stated that their main objective is still to guarantee the safety and protection of the UK.
The representative for the head of the government said that they would consistently use the most forceful measures to secure the safety of the country. She included that the government never treated removing a person's citizenship as a simple decision.
After the court hearing, the lawyers representing Ms Begum stated that they are highly considering requesting the involvement of the Supreme Court. However, it is possible that a response may not come for a whole year.
According to Gareth Peirce, a member of Ms Begum's legal team, the UK has a responsibility to bring her back given that other countries have already done so for their citizens in Syria. He believes this is not just a legal obligation but a moral one.
The image featured in this blog post is credited to the Metropolitan Police.
Begum, accompanied by two of her friends, departed from London en route to Syria.
Ms Begum was born in the United Kingdom to Bangladeshi descendants. Together with Kadiza Sultana and Amira Abase, Ms Begum was part of a group of three girls from east London who went to Syria in 2015 in order to assist the IS organization.
Begum spent over 36 months under the dominion of the Islamic State. She united with a Dutch individual who also subscribed to IS, and who is now detained in a Kurdish facility. Together they dwelled in Raqqa, which was historically a significant location for the group. However, Begum encountered great misfortune as she lost all of her three offspring.
In 2019, after IS was conquered, she was discovered in the al-Roj camp situated in northern Syria.
It is believed that Ms Sultana passed away due to a house explosion, whereas the situation of Ms Abase is uncertain.
Begum has stated that she willingly became a member of a banned group. She expressed feeling embarrassed and remorseful about her decision.
Listen to the podcast version of the story about Shamima Begum on BBC Sounds, and if you're in the UK, watch the documentary of the same name on BBC iPlayer.
