UK immigration court upholds revocation of British citizenship..

The UK Special Immigration Appeals Commission Wednesday rejected 23-year-old Shamima Begum’s appeal against the government’s 2019 revocation of her British citizenship.

The East London native was only 15 when she traveled to Syria to align with ISIL and marry an ISIL fighter. Begum had her British citizenship stripped under Section 40 of the British Nationality Act 1981 after then-Home Secretary Sajid Javid determined that she was a threat to national security.

Justice Robert Jay noted that “The Commission concluded there was credible suspicion that Ms Begum had been trafficked to Syria.” He further elaborated that “The motive for bringing her to Syria was sexual exploitation, to which, as a child she could not give consent.” He also admitted failures on behalf of the state in allowing Begum to travel to Syria, saying, “The Commission concluded that there were arguable breaches of duty, specifically on the part of various State bodies in permitting Ms Begum to leave the country as she did and eventually cross the border from Turkey to Syria.”

However, the court found that “Begum’s appeal under section 2B of the [Special Immigration Appeals Act 1997] must be dismissed.” Begum argued that the deprivation decision failed to respect her human rights under Article 4 of the European Convention on Human Rights because there was, at the very least, a credible suspicion that she was a victim of trafficking. Additionally, the Home Secretary’s decision rendered Begum stateless, a decision which she called “irrational” and which she believes is in breach of the government’s obligations under the Human Rights Act of 1998.

Javid said Begum’s case is “complex,” but “Home Secretaries should have the power to prevent anyone entering our country who is assessed to pose a threat to it.” Current Home Secretary Suella Braverman said she was “pleased with the decision.”