UK-born woman who joined Islamic State loses appeal over citizenship
removal
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[February 23, 2024]
By Sam Tobin
LONDON (Reuters) -A British-born woman who went to Syria as a schoolgirl
to join Islamic State lost her latest appeal on Friday over the removal
of her British citizenship.
The British government took away Shamima Begum's citizenship on national
security grounds in 2019, shortly after she was found in a detention
camp in Syria.
Begum, now 24, argued the decision was unlawful, in part because British
officials failed to properly consider whether she was a victim of
trafficking, an argument that was rejected by a lower court in February
2023.
The Court of Appeal in London rejected her appeal on Friday following an
appeal in October.
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Judge Sue Carr said: "It could be argued that the decision in Ms Begum's
case was harsh. It could also be argued that Ms Begum is the author of
her own misfortune.
"But it is not for this court to agree or disagree with either point of
view. Our only task is to assess whether the deprivation decision was
unlawful.
"We have concluded it was not and the appeal is dismissed."
The government welcomed the ruling.
"Our priority remains maintaining the safety and security of the UK and
we will robustly defend any decision made in doing so," a spokesperson
for the interior ministry said.
Begum's lawyers called on Britain to repatriate her and others who
remain in Syria, describing the refusal to do so as "disgraceful".
"Every other country has taken their nationals back – France, Germany,
Belgium, America, Canada, Australia," Begum's lawyer, Gareth Peirce,
told reporters.
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"Every country in a comparable position has seen that there is no
alternative but to take their nationals back. The UK stands now
virtually alone."
Britain has repatriated 17 individuals since 2019 as of December,
according human rights organization Rights and Security
International.
Daniel Furner, another of Begum's lawyers, said: "I want to say that
I'm sorry to Shamima and to her family that, after five years of
fighting, she still hasn't received justice in a British court and
to promise her and promise the government that we are not going to
stop fighting until she does get justice and until she is safely
back home."
HEATED DEBATE
Friday's ruling is the latest chapter in a long-running legal
battle, though Peirce said she needed time to properly read the
ruling before a decision is taken on whether to seek permission to
appeal.
In 2020, the Court of Appeal had ruled that Begum should be allowed
to return to Britain in order to fairly challenge the removal of her
citizenship. But that decision was overturned by the Supreme Court
the following year.
Begum's case has been the subject of heated debate between those who
argue she willingly joined a terrorist group and others who say she
was a child when she left, or should face justice for any alleged
crimes in Britain.
She left London in 2015, aged 15, and travelled with two school
friends to Syria, where she married an IS fighter and gave birth to
three children, all of whom died as infants.
Begum has been in the al-Roj camp since 2019, with thousands of
other foreign women and children.
(Reporting by Sam Tobin, editing by William James and Nick Macfie)
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