THE government has said it will “robustly defend” the decision to strip Shamima Begum of her British citizenship as the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) examines whether the move breached her rights.
The Strasbourg-based court has asked the UK to respond to questions about whether ministers failed to consider if Begum was a victim of grooming and trafficking before removing her nationality in 2019, reports said. A final ruling is not expected for many months.
A government source said the home secretary would stand firm, stressing that the decision had already been upheld by UK courts.
“The home secretary will robustly defend the decision to revoke Shamima Begum’s citizenship, which has been tested and upheld time and again in our domestic courts,” source said. “The home secretary will always put this country’s national security first.”
Begum was 15 when she left her home in Bethnal Green, east London, in 2015 with two schoolfriends to travel to Daesh (Islamic State group) held territory in Syria. She later married a Daesh fighter and had three children, all of whom died.
Now 26, she remains in a detention camp in Syria. Her British citizenship was removed by the then home secretary Sajid Javid on the grounds that it was “conducive to the public good”.
Ministers argued that she was entitled to Bangladeshi nationality by descent, meaning the decision would not make her stateless. Bangladesh has repeatedly said she is not a citizen.
In a document published earlier this month, the ECHR said Begum is challenging the decision under Article 4 of the European Convention on Human Rights, which prohibits slavery and forced labour.
Her lawyers argued that the UK failed to consider whether she was trafficked as a child and whether the state had duties towards her as a result.
One of the questions put to the government asks whether the home secretary had a positive obligation to assess whether Begum had been a victim of trafficking before depriving her of citizenship.
The case was lodged with the ECHR in December 2024 after the UK Supreme Court refused her permission to pursue a further appeal.
The court ruled that national security concerns outweighed her right to take part in the case from the UK and said there was no obligation on the state to repatriate her.
Begum’s lawyer, Gareth Peirce, said it was “impossible to dispute” that a 15-year-old had been “lured, encouraged and deceived” to travel to the Daesh territory. She said there had been a “catalogue of failures” to protect a child who was known to be at risk.
Meanwhile, the intervention by the European court has reignited political debate. Shadow home secretary Chris Philp said Begum should not be allowed to return “under any circumstances”, arguing that she chose to support violent extremists.
He said it was “deeply concerning” that the ECHR was now examining the case.
The Home Office said the government would “always protect the UK and its citizens”. The Strasbourg court will now consider written submissions from both sides before deciding whether the case proceeds to a full hearing.
