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Daily Mirror
Daily Mirror
National
Chris Kitching & Sam Tobin

Shamima Begum still fighting to be allowed back in UK and 'could appeal ban'

ISIS bride Shamima Begum could mount a legal bid to attend her UK court hearing from a detention camp in Syria, it is reported.

But a Government source cast doubts on whether Britain would be able to hold a remote hearing for the 21-year-old, saying the camp where she is being held is "extremely dangerous".

Begum continues to fight to restore her British citizenship and could challenge Friday's Supreme Court ruling by taking her case to the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg, France.

The UK's top court ruled the jihadi bride cannot return to the UK to pursue an appeal against the removal of her citizenship.

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Shamima Begum is seen at the camp after being told she lost her case (ITV News)

Begum was 15 when she and two other schoolgirls from Bethnal Green, east London, travelled to Syria to join the so-called Islamic State group (ISIS) in February 2015.

Her British citizenship was revoked on national security grounds shortly after she was found, nine months pregnant, in a Syrian refugee camp in February 2019.

Begum, now 21, is challenging the Home Office's decision to remove her citizenship and wants to be allowed to return to the UK to pursue her appeal.

Government sources told the Telegraph that her likely only remaining option is a legal bid to try to force the UK to facilitate a court hearing that she can attend remotely from the al-Roj camp.

The east London schoolgirl ran away to Syria in 2015 (PA)

It is where Begum is being held by the Syrian Democratic Forces following the fall of ISIS in Syria and Iraq.

One source said: "Essentially her appeal over her citizenship is in limbo until such time as she can appear at a hearing.

"We think her lawyers will probably try to argue that the Government has to provide the facilities in order to enable such a hearing to happen.

"But the reality is that she is in a camp in north-east Syria which is extremely dangerous and has probably not got great phone reception. How could we facilitate it?"

Begum could also try to take the Supreme Court ruling to the European Court of Human Rights.

Footage recorded by ITV News showed Begum walking through the al-Roj camp wearing casual clothing - sunglasses, a jacket, t-shirt, leggings and white trainers - after being told she had lost her Supreme Court case.

In July last year, the Court of Appeal ruled that "the only way in which she can have a fair and effective appeal is to be permitted to come into the United Kingdom to pursue her appeal".

The Home Office challenged that decision at the Supreme Court in November, arguing that allowing her to return to the UK "would create significant national security risks" and expose the public to "an increased risk of terrorism".

On Friday, the UK's highest court ruled that Begum should not be granted leave to enter the UK to pursue her appeal against the deprivation of her British citizenship.

Announcing the decision, Lord Reed said: "The Supreme Court unanimously allows all of the Home Secretary's appeals and dismisses Begum's cross-appeal."

Begum is seen on CCTV at Gatwick before flying to Turkey in 2015 (SWNS.COM)

The president of the Supreme Court said: "The right to a fair hearing does not trump all other considerations, such as the safety of the public.

"If a vital public interest makes it impossible for a case to be fairly heard then the courts cannot ordinarily hear it.

"The appropriate response to the problem in the present case is for the deprivation hearing to be stayed - or postponed - until Ms Begum is in a position to play an effective part in it without the safety of the public being compromised.

"That is not a perfect solution, as it is not known how long it may be before that is possible.

"But there is no perfect solution to a dilemma of the present kind."

Begum is pictured inside a tent at a Syrian camp a year ago (James Longman/ABC News)

In the court's written ruling, Lord Reed said: "It is, of course, true that a deprivation decision may have serious consequences for the person in question: although she cannot be rendered stateless, the loss of her British citizenship may nevertheless have a profound effect upon her life, especially where her alternative nationality is one with which she has little real connection.

"But the setting aside of the decision may also have serious consequences for the public interest."

Downing Street said it was "pleased" with the decision by the Supreme Court to block Shamima Begum's return to the UK to pursue an appeal against the removal of her British citizenship.

A spokesman for the Prime Minister told reporters: "We are obviously pleased with the Supreme Court's unanimous decision.

"As we've said before, the Government's priority is maintaining our national security.

"Decisions to deprive individuals of their citizenship are not taken lightly.

"We'll always ensure the safety and security of the UK, and will not allow anything to jeopardise this."

Pressed on Conservative MPs' concerns the decision created a security risk for the UK, the spokesman said it would not comment on individual cases.

In a statement after the ruling, Home Secretary Priti Patel said: "The Supreme Court has unanimously found in favour of the Government's position and reaffirmed the Home Secretary's authority to make vital national security decisions.

"The Government will always take the strongest possible action to protect our national security and our priority remains maintaining the safety and security of our citizens."

Ms Patel's predecessor Sajid Javid, who took the decision to revoke Begum's citizenship, said: "I strongly welcome the Supreme Court's ruling on Shamima Begum.

"The Home Secretary is responsible for the security of our citizens and borders, and therefore should have the power to decide whether anyone posing a serious threat to that security can enter our country.

"There are no simple solutions to this situation, but any restrictions of rights and freedoms faced by this individual are a direct consequence of the extreme actions that she and others have taken, in violation of Government guidance and common morality."

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