What happened to Shamima Begum? Ex-London schoolgirl who joined ISIS loses appeal to return to UK

Shamima Begum, 24, who in 2015 left her East London home as a teenager to travel to the Islamic State (IS) in Syria with two classmates, has lost her latest appeal against the removal of her British citizenship at the Court of Appeals, reports SKY News.

She was stripped of her UK citizenship in 2019 by Sajid Javid, the home secretary at the time. Since then, Begum's lawyers have been fighting a series of battles with the court.

On Friday, February 23, the judge, Dame Sue Carr, agreed with the commission's decision and refused to reinstate Begum's UK citizenship.

"Ms Begum may well have been influenced and manipulated by others but still have made a calculated decision to travel to Syria and align with ISIL [Islamic State]."

Sue Carr further stated that the court's decision to revoke her citizenship was not unlawful. Therefore, her appeal was dismissed.

"The only task of the court was to assess whether the deprivation decision was unlawful. Since it was not, Ms Begum's appeal is dismissed."

Per The Guardian, Begum is currently in a Kurdish-administered refugee camp in northeast Syria.

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Shamima Begum lost her appeal to reinstate her UK citizenship at the Court of Appeals

According to Sky News, Shamima Begum lost her appeal on Friday morning to regain her British citizenship, which she lost in 2019 on grounds of national security. In their official verdict, the Court of Appeals maintained that Begum "made a calculated decision to travel to Syria and align with ISIL."

The judge also stated:

"It could be argued the decision in Ms Begum's case was harsh. It could also be argued that Ms Begum is the author of her own misfortune. But it is not for this court to agree or disagree with either point of view."

The court agreed with the previous decision to revoke Begum's citizenship and maintained that "the deprivation decision" was not "unlawful." Since it was noted, the court rejected her appeal.

As per The Guardian, Shamima Begum had appealed to the Special Immigration Appeals Commission (SIAC) in February 2023, but her plea was rejected. Her team of lawyers then appealed to the Court of Appeals in October 2023.

Samantha Knights, KC, represented Shamima Begum in the Court of Appeals. Sky News reports that she argued that the UK government failed to consider "legal duties" towards an alleged victim of trafficking. Meanwhile, Begum's team of lawyers is likely to take the latest ruling to the Supreme Court, according to Sky News.

A representative of the UK Home Office told Sky News that they are pleased to hear a favorable verdict from the appeals court.

"We are pleased that the Court of Appeal has found in favour of our position in this case. Our priority remains maintaining the safety and security of the UK and we will robustly defend any decision made in doing so."

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Why did Shamima Begum lose her British citizenship?

Per The Guardian, Shamima Begum was born to Bangladeshi parents in England. She traveled to Syria to join the Islamic State in 2015. Upon her arrival in Syria, Begum married a Dutch national, Yago Riedijk. Shortly after, the IS was defeated by a coalition of the UK and the US.

After the IS's defeat, Shamima Begum, along with several other women and children, were picked up by Kurdish ground forces and detained in refugee camps. In 2019, a Times Now journalist discovered Begum in al-Hawl refugee camp in north-east Syria.

Shamima Begum reportedly told the journalist that she did not regret her decision to join the IS but hopes to return to the UK. Amid her lack of regret, the Home Secretary at the time revoked her citizenship on grounds of national security. He stated that “deprivation is conducive to the public good."

He explained that those who joined the IS “all supported a terrorist organization" and proved that they "hate the country" and "the values they stand for." As per UK law, a citizen cannot lose citizenship in cases of statelessness, but Javid stated Begum is of Bangladeshi heritage. Thus, she could not appeal for UK citizenship.

Since then, Shamima Begum and her team of lawyers have had a series of legal battles. However, their pleas were rejected each time. Per The Guardian, even if the court were to decide in her favor, the government could appeal against it.