United Kingdom: deprivation of nationality for young Londoner who joined IS is legal

British justice was called upon to rule once again on the situation of Shamima Begum, a Londoner who joined the Islamic State (IS) group when she was 15 years old.

In 2019, his citizenship was stripped of his citizenship by the British Home Office for reasons of national security.

The court of appeal had to rule on the illegality of this decision.

Shamima Begum, in a photo held by Renu, her big sister, in 2015. REUTERS/Laura Lean/Pool/File Photo

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This is the second time that the loss of nationality for Shamima Begum - a Londoner who joined the Islamic State (IS) group when she was 15 - has been confirmed by British justice.

“

It can be argued that the decision in Miss Begum's case was harsh, but it can also be argued that Miss Begum is responsible for her own misfortune

,” the magistrate said in handing down the decision.  

The director of the British human rights NGO Reprieve, Maya Foa, believes that deprivation of nationality is not a satisfactory answer: “

If the government thinks that Shamima Begum has committed an offense, she should be prosecuted in a British court

,” she reacted.

The thorny question of return

Shamima Begum is now 24 years old.

She lives in a camp in Syria so cannot return to the UK.

She says she is the victim of trafficking set up by ISIS in order to marry her.

Indeed, a few days after her arrival in Syria, she married an IS jihadist eight years her senior and had two children who died at a young age.

After fleeing the fighting, she found herself in a Syrian camp in February 2019 and expressed a wish to return to the UK.

This story questions the British on the thorny question of the return of the families of jihadists captured or killed in Syria and Iraq since the fall in 2019 of the

IS “

caliphate ”.

Shamima Begum's lawyer, Daniel Furner, said her defense would continue "

the fight until she gets justice and returns home

."

(

With AFP

)

Also read: United Kingdom: loss of nationality confirmed for Shamima Begum, who left to join IS in 2015

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