THE BRITISH GOVERNMENT LAWFULLY STRIPPED SHAMIMA BEGUM OF HER CITIZENSHIP
A top court has ruled the government lawfully stripped Shamima Begum of her British citizenship.
This isn't about Shamima returning to the UK, it's about whether the government were lawful in removing her citizenship.
A Home Office spokesperson said:
“We are pleased that the court has found in favour of the Government’s position in this case.
“The Government’s priority remains maintaining the safety and security of the UK and we will robustly defend any decision made in doing so.”
You can read the full judgement here.
WHO IS SHAMIMA BEGUM?
Shamima made headlines around the world when at 15 she left her home in London and went to join ISIS in Syria in 2015.
Four years later, she was found heavily pregnant in a detention camp in Northern Syria - she said she wanted to return home.
WHAT HAS ACTUALLY HAPPENED?
The British government stripped her of her British citizenship not long after she was found. Meaning she could no longer hold a British passport or return home.
Sajid Javid was Home Secretary at the time
They said she was a risk to national security and she’s been locked in a legal battle ever since.
Shamima’s lawyers told the court during the last appeal that she was a victim of child trafficking and was “recruited” and taken to Syria for “sexual exploitation” and to marry a man.
But the Home Office lawyers defended the government's decision and argued people can be trafficked to Syria and brainwashed but can still be threats to national security.
SO WHAT'S NEXT FOR SHAMIMA?
Shamima’s lawyers have said the legal fight is "nowhere near over”.
Daniel Furner, who represents Shamima called for “some courage and some leadership from the home secretary to look at this case afresh in light of the clear and compelling factual findings" the court has made.
Reprieve, a charity working to bring women and children back from Syria said: “Shamima Begum was groomed online as a child and the UK should take responsibility for her as it would any trafficked British teenager."
"Despite today’s decision the Government’s racist citizenship stripping policy remains unsustainable and badly out of step with security partners like the US" Reprieve's director Maya Foa said.
But for the time being, not much changes for Shamima - who is currently still living in the prison camp in northern Syria.
WHAT ARE OTHER COUNTRIES DOING?
The UK Government is not currently repatriating any British nationals detained in Northern Syria.
But countries like France, Germany and Australia are choosing to bring their citizens back.
And the UN has said all governments should bring their nationals home and there are worries about keeping lots of suspected members together, with ISIS threatening to break them out of these camps and prisons.
ISIS CAMPS PUSHED TO BREAKING POINT
We recently visited the ISIS camps in Northern Syria.
We met with the SDF - who largely control this region of Syria, suspected British ISIS members and a Kurdish woman who went into the camp to help rehabilitate ISIS women.
You can watch it on YouTube here.
We’re following Shamima’s case and will update you when we hear anything else.
Follow us on Twitter and we’ll post the link to the next updates here.