(Photo : Getty Images/Laura Lean - WPA Pool)
LONDON, ENGLAND - FEBRUARY 22: (EDITORS NOTE: FACE IN PHOTO BEING HELD DELIBERATELY COVERED BY SISTER) Renu Begum, eldest sister of Shamima Begum, 15, holds her sister's photo as she is interviewed by the media at New Scotland Yard, as the relatives of three missing schoolgirls believed to have fled to Syria to join Islamic State have pleaded for them to return home, on February 22, 2015 in London, England. Police are urgently trying to trace Shamima Begum, 15, Kadiza Sultana, 16, and 15-year-old Amira Abase after they flew to Istanbul in Turkey from Gatwick Airport on Tuesday.
The United Kingdom Supreme Court ruled on Friday that Shamima Begum, who left Britain for Syria to join the ISIS terrorist group as a teenager, is not allowed to return and fight for her citizenship case. This is because she poses a security risk.
Jihadi Bride Refused Entry to UK
Begum has dual British-Bangladeshi citizenship. She traveled to Syria at the age of 15 years old, alongside her classmates, to join the so-called ISIS caliphate. As the caliphate was being whittled down to its last survivors by the United States and allied forces, she surfaced at a Syria refugee camp, she piqued the interest of Western journalists.
The Supreme Court ruled that Begum should not be enabled to return to the UK to pursue an appeal against the removal of her English citizenship. Her English citizenship was nullified on national security grounds shortly after she was discovered in the refugee camp in February 2019 while nine months pregnant.
In a unanimous ruling, according to the SC, England did not contravene Shamima Begum's rights when denying her a chance to return. Now that the Islamic State group has experienced a harsh military defeat and lost dominion of the areas it used to hold, Begum remains in Syria, in the al-Hawl refugee camp in the nation's north, reported i24 News.
When Begum traveled to Syria, which was then the IS stronghold of Al-Rakka, she married a jihadist. She asked in 2019 from a Syrian refugee camp to be granted the opportunity to return to Britain.
The decision is a triumph for home secretary Priti Patel whose department nullified Begum's UK citizenship. Patel has fought strenuously to alleviate the "jihadi bride" to return to the UK, saying the woman is a national security risk, reported Financial Times.
Also Read: Global Peace Index: Syria Is The World's Most Dangerous Country
The unanimous decision had all five top court justices in agreement. According to Lord Robert Reed, the President of the Supreme Court, "The Supreme Court unanimously allows all of the Home Secretary''s appeals and dismisses Ms Begum''s cross-appeal. The right to a fair hearing does not trump all other considerations, such as the safety of the public," reported Outlook.
Begum, 21, would like to come back to challenge the home secretary's ruling to revoke her British nationality. She currently resides in a camp controlled by armed guards in northern Syria.
In July 2020, a court of Appeal in the UK stated it was only just for her to return to Britain to fight for her citizenship. This was appealed by the Home office to the Supreme Court.
The apex court has also remarked her case against the government alongside her appeal should be paused. This is until they find another way for her to take part in her hearing.
Begum's family appealed against the decision. According to the legal team, Begum should be allowed to return to the UK so she could provide evidence in person. The government did not accept that in the courts.
The 21-year-old challenged the Home Office's decision to remove her UK citizenship. She wanted to be enabled to return to the UK to pursue her appeal.
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