Shamima Begum case rejected for last time in UK courts

British-born woman, Shamima Begum, who went to Syria to join ISIS as a teenager has lot her appeal to retain her British citizenship.

At age 15, Begum, from Bethnal Green, London, ran away in 2015 with 2 school friends to travel to Syria to join the Islamic State. On being found alive in 2019, former Home Secretary, Sajid Javid, revoked her UK citizenship saying that she should never be allowed to return to the UK. The Court of Appeal overruled the Home Secretary’s decision saying she should at least have the right to appeal his decision in British courts.

High Court rejects Shamima Begum case

Begum’s lawyers argued that the decision by Javid was unlawful, because it did not consider that she had been a victim of people trafficking, a line of argument rejected by the Court of Appeal in early 2024. The High Court ruled on Wednesday August 7 that Begum had no grounds to contest the Court of Appeal’s decision, thus ending her case in the UK legal system. She is now expected to attempt to take her case to the ECHR.

Bangladesh refutes Shamima Begum citizenship

While in Syria, Begum gave birth to 3 babies, all of whom died. She was found alive at the al-Hawl refugee camp by Times correspondent Anthony Lloyd in 2019. She thought that she had dual nationality with Bangladesh, but the Bangladeshi government has refuted this information. Until February 2024 she was staying at the al-Roj refugee camp in Syria.

The case has been cause of intense debate not least because leaving someone stateless goes against the United Nations Human Rights Charter.