European court presses UK over revoking Shamima Begum’s citizenship

A top European court is pressing the UK over its decision to strip a British woman of her citizenship after she travelled to join the so-called Islamic State (IS) as a teenager.

The European Court of Human Rights has demanded answers over the case of Shamima Begum in relation to state responsibilities for victims of trafficking, before the home secretary revoked her British citizenship.

Ms Begum travelled at the age of 15 from Bethnal Green, east London, to territory held by IS a decade ago.

She was “married off” to an IS fighter and was stripped of her British citizenship in February 2019 on the grounds of posing a threat to national security, and remains in a Syrian camp.

In a document published by the European court earlier this month, it states Ms Begum is challenging the decision under Article 4 of the European Convention on Human Rights – prohibition of slavery and forced labour.

The case was lodged in December last year, after she was denied the chance to challenge the removal of her British citizenship at the UK’s Supreme Court in August.

Among four questions posed by judges in Strasbourg to the Home Office, it asked: “Did the Secretary of State have a positive obligation, by virtue of Article 4 of the Convention, to consider whether the applicant had been a victim of trafficking, and whether any duties or obligations to her flowed from that fact, before deciding to deprive her of her citizenship?”

Responding to the move, Birnberg Peirce Solicitors, which is representing Ms Begum, said the court’s communication “presents an unprecedented opportunity” for the UK and Ms Begum to “grapple with the significant considerations raised in her case and ignored, sidestepped or violated up to now by previous UK administrations”.

Lawyer Gareth Peirce said: “It is impossible to dispute that a 15-year-old British child was in 2014/15 lured, encouraged and deceived for the purposes of sexual exploitation to leave home and travel to Isil-controlled territory for the known purpose of being given, as a child, to an Isil fighter to propagate children for the Islamic State.

“It is equally impossible not to acknowledge the catalogue of failures to protect a child known for weeks beforehand to be at high risk when a close friend had disappeared to Syria in an identical way and via an identical route.

“It has already been long conceded that the then home secretary, Sajid Javid, who took the precipitous decision in 2019 very publicly to deprive Ms Begum of citizenship, had failed entirely to consider the issues of grooming and trafficking of a school child in London and of the state’s consequent duties.”

She added the challenge comes as the current government has made protections for victims of grooming and trafficking a national priority.

But responding to the correspondence from the European court, a Home Office spokesman said any decision made to protect national security will be robustly defended.

“The Government will always protect the UK and its citizens,” the spokesman said.

“That is why Shamima Begum – who posed a national security threat – had her British citizenship revoked and is unable to return to the UK.

“We will robustly defend any decision made to protect our national security.”

Meanwhile the Conservatives said Ms Begum should not be allowed back into the UK “under any circumstances”.

Shadow home secretary Chris Philp said: “Begum chose to go and support the violent Islamist extremists of Daesh, who murdered opponents, raped thousands of women and girls and threw people off buildings for being gay.

“She has no place in the UK and our own Supreme Court found that depriving her of citizenship was lawful.

“It is deeply concerning the European Court of Human Rights is now looking at using the ECHR to make the UK take her back.”