IS bride cannot return to UK to reclaim citizenship: Supreme Court
Friday, 26 February 2021 (17:32 IST)
London: The UK Supreme Court ruled on Friday that Shamima Begum, who traveled to Syria in 2015 to marry a member of the Islamic State terrorist organization (IS, banned in Russia) and was later stripped of her UK citizenship cannot return to her country of birth to fight her citizenship case.
“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,” Judge Robert Reed said.
The “IS bride,” who was 15 when she left the UK, was stripped of her UK citizenship soon after she was found in a refugee camp in Syria in February 2019, but she challenged the Home Office’s decision in court and asked to be allowed to return to the UK to present her case.
In July 2020, the UK Court of Appeal ruled that Begum should be allowed to return to the UK, but the Home Office subsequently appealed to the Supreme Court.
According to Judge Reed, Begum’s legal fight over citizenship should be paused until she is in a safer position to take part in her appeal.
“That is not a perfect solution, as it is not known how long it may be before that is possible. But there is no perfect solution to a dilemma of the present kind,” he said.
After joining IS in 2015, Begum married a terrorist of Dutch descent, with whom she had three children, but all of them died, the UK media has reported.
She was moved to a camp for IS family members following the collapse of the Islamic rule in Syria. (UNI)
