Shamima Begum hopes of returning to UK ‘bolstered’ by collapse of Assad regime in Syria, lawyer claims
The collapse of the Assad regime in Syria could pave the wave for a fresh legal bid by Shamima Begum with the future uncertain for the Syrian detention camp where she is being held
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Your support makes all the difference.Shamima Begum could launch a fresh legal bid to return to the UK following the fall of Syria’s Bashar al-Assad regime, it has emerged.
Tasnime Akunjee, Ms Begum’s family lawyer, says the danger faced by the 25-year-old over the future of the Syrian detention camp where she is being held “bolstered” her claim before a court.
Ms Begum, who was born and raised in east London, was stripped of her British citizenship by former home secretary Sajid Javid after she travelled to Syria, aged 15, to join Islamic State.
For at least five years she has been held at the Roj detention camp in north-eastern Syria, which is controlled by the US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF).
The future of the camp, which holds families linked to Islamic State, is now unclear after Bashar al-Assad’s 24-year rule was swept aside by rebel groups.
Several legal claims have so far been lodged by Ms Begum and her team in attempts to return to the UK - but all have been thrown out on the grounds of national security.
But speaking to The Telegraph, Mr Akunjee said if the Roj camp was closed, Ms Begum would be in danger and could have more of a claim for British citizenship before a court.
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Telling the publication to “watch this space”, he insisted the camp’s future was a “relevant factor” in any future court judgment.
He said: “The proportionality [argument] is bolstered [by the current situation]. It gives weight to the impact the court’s decision has had on her.”
Last year, Ms Begum lost her appeal against a decision to revoke her citizenship on national security grounds at the UK’s Special Immigration Appeals Commission.
Justices at the Supreme Court said Ms Begum could not appeal again after she lost a Court of Appeal bid in February.
The Roj camp where Ms Begum is held is one of two sprawling settlements holding families linked to Islamic State in north-east Syria, the other being Al Hol.
A Sky News dispatch from the camps earlier this year found tens of thousands of people staying in basic living conditions inside tents. Both settlements are heavily guarded by the SDF.
It is estimated that around 70 British nationals are in detention under SDF control, including dozens of children.
Dan Dolan, the deputy executive director of human rights charity Reprieve, told The Telegraph: “It is more urgent than ever to repatriate the British families imprisoned without charge in north-east Syria.
“This is a volatile situation where lives are at risk, and it’s worth remembering that the majority of Britons in these open-air prisons are children under ten years old, and many are trafficking victims.
“For years, the UK has been urged to repatriate its nationals by the US, other security allies, and Kurdish authorities themselves. The UK government is more than capable of handling this very small number of cases, and it is in the interests of justice, security and human rights to repatriate these families without delay.”
Back in 2015, Ms Begum travelled to Istanbul in Turkey from Gatwick airport to join the so-called Islamic State with two of her close school friends.
Just 10 days after arriving in the city of Raqqa, Ms Begum, who is of Bangladeshi heritage, was married to a Dutchman named Yago Riedijk, who had converted to Islam.
They had three children together, all of whom later died from malnourishment or disease. They were a one-year-old girl, a three-month-old boy, and a newborn son.
She was eventually found at Roj refugee camp in 2019 by a Times journalist. Shortly after, her British citizenship was stripped after she announced her desire to return to the UK.
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