ISIS bride Shamima Begum’s lawyer says his client’s chances of a return to the UK have been “bolstered” by the fall of Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad.
Tasnime Akunjee told the Telegraph that if the camp in northern Syria which Begum is being held in is shut down, then there is a risk she could be “bled out” into the desert.
He told the outlet that the shutting of the Roj camp – Begum’s home for the last five years – would likely be a “relevant factor” in any future court hearing. “Watch this space”, he warned.
Mr Akunjee said: “The proportionality [argument] is bolstered [by the fall of Assad]. It gives weight to the impact the court’s decision has had on her.”
Begum left Bethnal Green east London in 2015 with two other teenage girls. After flying to Turkey, she and the other teenagers entered Syria to join up with Islamic State.
After marrying a Dutch convert to Islam Yago Riedijk while she was just 15, the British-born jihadi-backing bride had three children, all of whom are thought to have died young.
The Johnson government revoked Begum’s British citizenship, leaving her de facto stateless and barred from returning to the UK. British intelligence believe the 25-year-old poses a national security threat.
For the last five years, Begum has been held in the Roj camp in northern Syria, which is run by the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) – a Kurdish-run militia.
The SDF is expected to come under pressure to give up control of its camps, including Roj. Meanwhile the US under Donald Trump is expected to pull US funding for the Kurdish group, when he enters the White House as President.
With the security of the camps under threat, Dan Dolan, deputy executive director of human rights charity Reprieve, said: “It is more urgent than ever to repatriate the British families imprisoned without charge in north-east Syria.
“This is a volatile situation where lives are at risk, and it’s worth remembering that the majority of Britons in these open-air prisons are children under ten years old, and many are trafficking victims.
“For years, the UK has been urged to repatriate its nationals by the US, other security allies, and Kurdish authorities themselves. The UK Government is more than capable of handling this very small number of cases, and it is in the interests of justice, security and human rights to repatriate these families without delay.”
