Shamima Begum has lost her latest court appeal against the revocation of her British citizenship, a decision made on national security grounds after she traveled to Syria to join the Islamic State group at age 15. The Court of Appeal, led by Dame Victoria Sharp, the Lady Chief Justice of England and Wales, unanimously dismissed the appeal, stating that the court’s role was to assess the lawfulness of the deprivation decision, not to opine on its severity or justice. Despite acknowledging credible suspicions that Begum was a victim of trafficking, the court upheld that the government had not acted unlawfully. Maya Foa, an executive director at Reprieve, expressed disappointment and emphasized the political nature of the issue, hinting at the possibility of a further appeal.
- Shamima Begum lost her appeal against the removal of her British citizenship.
- Her citizenship was revoked after she joined the Islamic State group in Syria in 2015.
- The Court of Appeal ruled unanimously that the deprivation decision was lawful.
- The judgment acknowledged that Begum may have been a victim of trafficking.
- Maya Foa of Reprieve criticized the decision as a deference to government, suggesting the courts avoided overstepping into political territory.
- Foa argued that if Begum is a threat to national security, it should be addressed through British courts.
- The possibility of an appeal to the Supreme Court was suggested.
- Britain’s use of citizenship stripping, a practice largely abandoned by other G20 countries, was highlighted as a contentious and unaccountable power.
- The secretive nature of the evidence, which may involve intelligence from MI5 and MI6, was brought up as a concern for transparency and due process.
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