Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood has declared the Government will "robustly defend" the contentious decision to strip Shamima Begum of her British citizenship, following a fresh legal challenge at the European Court of Human Rights.
Government's Unwavering Stance on National Security
Addressing MPs in the House of Commons, Ms Mahmood delivered a firm response to questions about the case. She emphasised that the previous government had litigated the matter all the way to the UK Supreme Court, which declined to hear a final appeal as the key legal questions were deemed settled.
"We have accepted that position, and our position as a government on this case will not change," the Home Secretary stated. "We will robustly defend this at the European Court of Human Rights." This assurance came after the Shadow Home Secretary demanded confirmation that the Labour administration would not permit Ms Begum's return to the UK.
The Core of the New Legal Challenge
Lawyers for Ms Begum, now 26, have initiated a new challenge under Article 4 of the European Convention on Human Rights, which prohibits slavery and forced labour. They argue she was a victim of trafficking when, at the age of 15, she was "lured, encouraged and deceived for the purposes of sexual exploitation" to travel to ISIS-controlled territory in Syria in February 2015.
The Strasbourg court has now asked the UK Home Office to clarify whether the Government should have considered if Ms Begum was a trafficking victim before revoking her citizenship. Her solicitor, Gareth Peirce, contends that former Home Secretary Sir Sajid Javid failed to consider issues of grooming and trafficking when he made the precipitous decision in February 2019 to strip her of citizenship on national security grounds.
A Case History of Controversy and Loss
Shamima Begum, who was born in London, left the UK as a schoolgirl with two friends, Amira Abase and Kadiza Sultana, both of whom are now reported dead. Shortly after arriving in Syria, she married a 23-year-old ISIS fighter. Ms Begum gave birth to three children, all of whom have since died. She is currently residing in a camp in Syria.
The legal battle has spanned years, with the UK Supreme Court previously denying her the right to return to Britain to challenge the citizenship decision. The case continues to provoke intense debate, balancing questions of national security, state responsibility for potentially trafficked children, and the limits of citizenship powers.
