The British Supreme Court ruled on Friday that a British-born woman who went to Syria as a schoolgirl to join ISIS posed a security risk and would not be allowed to return to Britain to fight for her citizenship.
Shamima Begum, now 21, left London in 2015 at the age of 15 and traveled to Syria with two school friends, Reuters reported.
She later lives in Raqqa, the caliphate’s self-proclaimed capital, and marries an ISIS fighter. She has had three children since she left Britain, but all the babies have since died, the outlet said.
In 2019, Begum was deprived of her British citizenship due to concerns about national security. However, a court ruled last year that she could only have a fair appeal if she was admitted to Britain again.
Friday’s ruling means she will have to pursue her appeal against citizenship from abroad.
“The right to a fair trial does not trump all other considerations, such as the safety of the public,” said Robert Reed, the president of the Supreme Court. “If a vital public interest makes it impossible to hear a case fairly, the courts usually cannot hear it.”
Reed said her appeal should remain until she is in a safer position to participate in her case without endangering the public, according to Reuters.
‘It’s not a perfect solution because it is not known how long it may take before it is possible. But there is no perfect solution to a dilemma of the current nature, ‘he said.
She said she “wanted to clear her name” and told Sky News she did not know what she was doing when she left.
Begum is currently being held in the Roj camp, which is run by Syrian Kurdish authorities.
Earlier this month, United Nations human rights experts demanded that 57 states, including the United Kingdom, bring back their citizens detained in the Roj and Al Hol camps.
Officials said the conditions in the camps, with more than 65,000 people, are facing deteriorating security and appalling conditions.
“Thousands of people detained in the camps are being subjected to violence, exploitation, abuse and deprivation in conditions and treatment which may well amount to torture or other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment under international law, with no effective means to their disposal. “An unknown number have already died as a result of their detention,” the UN Commission on Human Rights said in a statement.
Maya Foa, director of the human rights group Reprieve, told the BBC that preventing Begum from returning to the UK was “a cynical ploy to make her someone else’s responsibility”.
“Leave them in a legitimate black hole – “in Guantanamo-like conditions – out of step with British values and the interests of justice and security,” Foa said.