Shabana Mahmood pledges a strong defense of the decision to revoke Shamima Begum’s citizenship from ISIS. The Home Secretary asserts that the government will stand firm against a new legal challenge. Begum’s lawyers claim she was manipulated for sexual exploitation at 15. The European Court of Human Rights seeks clarification from Britain on the contentious action.
Addressing the issue in Parliament, Mahmood states that the case has been extensively litigated, with all legal matters resolved. The government’s stance remains unchanged and will be vigorously upheld at the European Court of Human Rights.
A Conservative Shadow Home Secretary insists on preventing Begum’s return, citing her support for the brutal ISIS regime. Begum, a London native who joined ISIS as a teenager, contests the citizenship stripping in 2019. The decision was made due to her perceived threat to national security after marrying an ISIS member and currently residing in a Syrian camp.
Her legal team challenges the ruling under the European Convention on Human Rights, focusing on the prohibition of slavery and forced labor. Strasbourg judges query whether the government considered Begum as a trafficking victim. The lawyers argue that she was deceived and groomed for exploitation, emphasizing the authorities’ failure to protect a vulnerable child.
Begum, now 26, traveled to Syria with school friends in 2015, both of whom are reported deceased. After marrying an ISIS member, she gave birth to three children, all of whom have died.
