The country’s Supreme Court has not allowed Shamima Begum, an IS militant of Bangladeshi descent whose British citizenship was revoked, to return to the UK from Syria. The Supreme Court on Friday ruled on whether he would be allowed to return home to challenge the decision to revoke his citizenship. News BBC and AFP.
A five-member bench of the Supreme Court unanimously ruled today. The ruling said Shamima Begum could pose a risk to UK security. Therefore, he should not be allowed to return to the country to challenge the government’s decision to revoke his citizenship.
Shamima, a 15-year-old schoolgirl who fled to Syria with friends and married an IS militant and joined the organization, was sentenced by the Supreme Court today after eight years.
Shamima wants to return to the UK in 2019. However, the country’s government revoked his citizenship citing national security reasons. The matter was then taken to court. Later, on February 21 last year, a UK court ruled that Shamima’s decision to revoke her British citizenship was valid. In the verdict, the court said that Shamima Begum did not become stateless as a result of revocation of her citizenship. Hereditarily he is a ‘citizen of Bangladesh’. He can claim the citizenship of Bangladesh.
However, Foreign Minister AK Abdul Momen has already said that Bangladesh has nothing to do with Shamima Begum. He said, ‘Shamima is a citizen of that country (UK). He never applied for Bangladeshi citizenship. So Bangladesh has nothing to do with him.
In the wake of today’s Supreme Court order, Shamima’s 21-year-old lawyers argued that she would win the case on her own, even if there was no fair trial in the court. He is currently in a refugee camp in northern Syria controlled by an armed rebel group. Due to his location in war-torn Syria, he is unable to speak to lawyers or attend hearings.
Shamima Begum migrated to Syria with her two girlfriends in February 2015. All three were students at Bethnal Green Academy in Bangladeshi-dominated East London. After moving to Syria, Shamima married Igo Ridaik, an IS militant of Dutch descent.
In February 2019, a British journalist met Shamima in a Syrian refugee camp. Then Shamima expressed her desire to return to the United Kingdom. A few days later Shamima gave birth to a boy. The baby died a few days later. The Yago-Shamima couple also had two children before. However, no child survived. Shamima said they died of malnutrition and illness.
The main complications
IS dominated Syria two years ago. At that time, the then British government took away Shamima’s citizenship.
In July last year, the UK Court of Appeal ruled that Shamima had not been given a fair chance to challenge the decision. Because, he is not able to fight the case directly from the refugee camps outside the country.
The British government requested the Supreme Court to reconsider the Court of Appeal order. In this context, the Supreme Court gave the order today. Today’s verdict is expected to have a significant impact on the case of Shamima and others like her.
