Begum loses appeal to have British citizenship restored

Shamima Begum, now aged 24, travelled to Syria in 2015 to join Isis (ABC News)

- MARYAM ZAKIR-HUSSAIN

Shamima Begum has lost her bid to overturn the government's decision to strip her of British citizenship, the Court of Appeal has ruled. But her legal team have promised they will not give up now, despite the latest blow for the 24-year-old.

Ms Begum's solicitor, Daniel Furner, said: "I think the only thing we can really say for certain is that we are going to keep fighting. I want to say that I’m sorry to Shamima, and to her family, that after five years of fighting she still hasn’t received justice in a British court – and to promise her and promise the government that we are not going to stop fighting until she does get justice, and until she is safely back home.”

Ms Begum travelled to Syria in 2015 aged 15, and her British citizenship was revoked on national security grounds shortly after she was found in a Syrian refugee camp in February 2019. Last year, she lost a challenge filed with the Special Immigration Appeals Commission (SIAC) against the decision to revoke her citizenship.

Ms Begum’s lawyers brought a bid to overturn that decision at the Court of Appeal, with the Home Office opposing the challenge. In a ruling yesterday, three judges dismissed Ms Begum’s bid.

Giving the ruling, Lady Chief Justice Carr said: “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. Our only task is to assess whether the deprivation decision was unlawful. We have concluded it was not and the appeal is dismissed.”