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The Home Secretary is set to firmly defend the decision to revoke Shamima Begum’s British citizenship as the case faces scrutiny from European judges, according to a government insider. The European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) has requested an investigation into the matter, but government officials emphasize that the decision has already been affirmed by UK courts. Begum left east London at the age of 15 to join territory controlled by the Islamic State group in the Middle East, where she married a fighter.
Now 26 years old, Begum was deprived of her UK citizenship on national security grounds. Her legal team argues that this action overlooked critical factors, including whether she had been a victim of grooming and human trafficking. The ECHR has specifically asked the Home Office to clarify if ministers involved considered these concerns and whether the UK has any obligations toward her. However, a government representative asserted that the Home Secretary would strongly uphold the decision, highlighting that national security remains the government’s top priority.
In a document released by the ECHR earlier this month, it was outlined that Shamima Begum is contesting the citizenship revocation under Article 4 of the European Convention on Human Rights, which prohibits slavery and forced labor. This case was brought forward in December 2024 following the UK Supreme Court’s refusal to allow her to challenge the decision further. Judges in Strasbourg raised questions regarding whether the Home Secretary had a positive duty to consider Begum’s potential status as a trafficking victim before revoking her citizenship.
Begum was born in the UK to Bangladeshi parents and left Bethnal Green with two schoolfriends in 2015 to join ISIL. Soon after arriving, she married an IS fighter and had three children, none of whom survived. She was later found in a Syrian refugee camp, and a tribunal ruled in February 2020 that she would not be left stateless by losing her British nationality due to her Bangladeshi descent. Despite multiple appeals, the Supreme Court ultimately rejected her ability to contest the decision. Her lawyer, Gareth Pierce, emphasized that it was undeniable Begum was exploited as a minor, highlighting systemic failures to protect her as a child known to be at high risk. Conservative politicians have insisted that Begum should never be allowed to return to the UK, with the Shadow Home Secretary describing her as having chosen to support violent Islamist extremists and expressing concern over the ECHR’s involvement
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