Shamima Begum has lost her latest appeal to return to the UK in the Court of Appeal. Begum, 24, was attempting to overturn a ruling that stripped her of her British citizenship when she was 19.
The latest ruling means that Begum must remain in Syria and has no chance to return to the UK.
In her ruling Lady Chief Justice Dame Sue Carr said that while the decision to strip Begum of her citizenship was “harsh” it was also possible to argue that she had been “the author of her own misfortune”.
She added that the court’s only task was to “assess whether deprivation decision was unlawful. We have concluded it was not, and the appeal is dismissed”.
Although Begum has lost this appeal she can still continue and appeal through the Supreme Court, but it is not likely that that case would be heard until after the next general election.
Begum became known around the world when she left the UK to join IS in 2015 at the age of just 15 years old. Four years later, when she was found in a refugee camp, she had her British citizenship removed on the grounds of national security.
Since then, she has tried on multiple occasions to appeal the decision but has so far failed to succeed. The Home Office opposed her appeal to have her citizenship reinstated.
Begum’s legal team told the tribunal that she had been transported to Syria for sexual exploitation while the Home Office argued that her travel “was voluntary and demonstrated her determination and commitment to align with [IS]”.
In their judgement, the Court of Appeal’s judges concluded that the then Home Secretary Sajid Javid had assessed whether Begum had been a victim of child trafficking. They added that Mr Javid was entitled to make a judgement about whether Begum was a threat to national security.
Speaking to Sky about what happens next, a lawyer for Begum Gareth Peirce said: “As long as she is still there, this doesn’t end.” It is believed likely that Begum’s lawyers will appeal the decision again.
Executive director of a non-governmental organisation representing Begum Maya Foa told the BBC that she was sure she would “be disappointed by this” and that this decision would not be “the end of the line”.
