Get all your news in one place.
100's of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
Chronicle Live
Chronicle Live
National
Rachael Burford

Shamima Begum's family to launch legal bid to bring Isis bride back to the UK

The family of runaway Isis bride Shamima Begum is expected to launch a high court challenge today against the home secretary's decision to strip the teen of her British citizenship.

Miss Begum travelled from her home in east London to Syria with two classmates in February 2015. She was married to a Dutch extremist fighter and bore three children, all of whom have died.

Home secretary Sajid Javid controversially revoked Miss Begum's UK citizenship last month and she is now in the al-Roj refugee camp in north Syria. Her solicitor, Tasnime Akunjee, was at Tower Hamlets full council meeting on Wednesday.

He claimed the government had "broken the rule of law" by leaving her effectively stateless.

"Whatever she has done, she should face whatever legal consequences there are for that. But this is simply about the law," he said.

This week, Mr Akunjee returned from Syria where he tried to see the teenager, but was "blocked at the gates" by camp security.

He added they would "have to be innovative" in court proceedings because Miss Begum could not be a witness.

Stash of illegal cigarettes worth thousands found inside secret fridge compartment in Shields Road shop  

The Begum family is expected to seek a judicial review into Mr Javid's decision through their court action.

Mr Akunjee claimed the government broke the European convention on human rights.

CCTV issued by the Metropolitan Police of (left to right) 15-year-old Amira Abase, Kadiza Sultana, 16, and Shamima Begum before catching a flight to Turkey in 2015 to join the Islamic State group (PA)

"This isn't about just human rights, it's much more than that," he said. "This is down to the rule of law. That rule is that everyone is subject to the law and you can't find some sneaky administrative device to stop it being applied properly.

"These rules were laid out as early as the Magna Carta. The decision was disproportionate and a British teenager is now effectively stateless."

An appeal was also lodged with the Special Immigration Appeals Commission (SIAC) by the Begum family on Tuesday.

Fancy going on Gogglebox? It needs new people to get paid £1,500-a-MONTH just to watch the telly

Meet the Ponteland lass who gets to taste test Marks and Spencer chocolate - and gets paid for it  

The government has argued Miss Begum has Bangladeshi citizenship through her parents. But Bangladesh has said it will not grant her asylum.

The Home Office said it would not comment on individual cases. But a spokesman added that to "protect the country, the Home Secretary has the power to deprive someone of their citizenship where it would not render them stateless".

Miss Begum and fellow Bethnal Green Academy pupils, Kadiza Sultana and Amira Abase, left the UK four years ago. They are believed to have taken the same route to Syria as classmate Sharmeena Begum, who joined the terror group in December 2014.

Another four girls from the same school were made "wards of the court" to stop them joining Isis.

Mr Akunjee attended Tower Hamlets' full council meeting to encourage the local authority to conduct a review into how the teenage girls were able to join the terror group.

A motion asking for a serious case review to take place, put forward by Liberal Democrat Cllr Rabina Khan, was not discussed due to lack of time.

Cllr Khan said: "This is not political. I was part of the administration when these girls went to Syria. We need to know how these girls were radicalised."

Mr Akunjee added: "We are simply calling for a review into what caused the worst case of child radicalisation the western hemisphere has ever seen.

"It should have already been done. Four children have left the country, one has given birth to three kids who are all now dead. I won't leave that uninvestigated."

A council spokesman said the case "did not meet the threshold for a serious case review" adding that "Tower Hamlets has some of the strongest measures in place to help prevent radicalisation".

What the weather will be like over Easter weekend in the North East

Claims Joey Barton left Barnsley boss with 'BLOOD pouring from his face' as police probe ex-Newcastle United star

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100's of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.