Shamima Begum has been denied permission to enter the UK and has lost her appeal against the government's decision to revoke her British citizenship.
When she was a teenager, Ms. Begum, now 23 years old, fled the nation to join the Islamic State (IS) organization in Syria.
One of three east London schoolgirls who went to Syria in 2015 to aid the IS movement is Ms. Begum.
She was born in the UK to parents with Bangladeshi ancestry, and she left at the age of 15.
In 2019, she lost her citizenship due to national security concerns.
A legal status is citizenship.
If a person is a citizen of the UK, they have the legal right to reside there and to utilize services like welfare, education, and healthcare. Additionally, they have the right to cast ballots.
Citizenship is also an identity and frequently contributes to one's sense of identity and belonging.
Many of the same rights apply to non-citizens who have the right to live permanently in the UK.
Their "settled status" or "leave to remain" status is referred to.
The government has the authority to revoke someone's British citizenship in the following situations:
- They would not lose their nationality because it is "for the public good.".
- The individual fraudulently obtained citizenship.
- They might act in a way that jeopardizes UK interests and claim citizenship elsewhere.
Members of banned organizations like al-Qaeda or the Islamic State group have been targeted by this authority, as have people who fraudulently obtained British citizenship.
Additionally, the person must be qualified to apply for citizenship in another nation. In accordance with international law, the UK is obligated to prevent statelessness.
The Nationality and Borders Act made it simpler for the home secretary to revoke citizenship without informing the subject in some situations. National security issues or if the person has been charged with a serious crime are examples of such situations.
An aid worker from Walthamstow named Tauqir Sharif also lost his citizenship due to national security concerns. His wife and he moved to Syria in 2012; he lost his citizenship in 2017.
Mr. Sharif denied the Home Office's allegations that he was connected to an organization that supported al-Qaeda and labeled the system as "unfair" and "racist.".
Because Ms. Begum was "a citizen of Bangladesh by descent," a tribunal determined in February 2020 that stripping her of her British citizenship was legal and would prevent her from becoming stateless.
Bangladesh stated that this was untrue and that she would not be admitted.
Ms. Begum could not travel back to the UK to file an appeal against the ruling, the Supreme Court ruled in February 2021.
Attorneys for Ms. Begum, who continues to reside in a camp in northern Syria that is guarded by armed men, challenged the removal of her citizenship before the Special Immigration Appeals Commission (SIAC).
They claimed that because the decision did not take into account whether she had been a child victim of trafficking, it was illegal.
Ms. Begum is still prohibited from entering the UK as a result of the SIAC's rejection of her appeal on February 22. The legal dispute, however, might not be over just yet; Ms. Begum might take her case to the Court of Appeal.
There isn't easy access to the total summaries.
Nevertheless, according to the Home Office, between 2010 and 2018, an average of 19 people per year had their citizenship removed when it was "conducive to the public good" and an average of 17 people per year due to fraud.
Over 460 people had their citizenship removed between 2006 and 2020, 289 for fraud and 175 for reasons related to national security, according to research by the immigration law website Free Movement.
Because citizenship is a birth right protected by the US constitution, citizens who were born in the US cannot have their status revoked.
However, those who have become naturalized US citizens, or those who have immigrated to the US, may have their nationality revoked for a number of reasons, such as belonging to a prohibited group or having obtained their citizenship fraudulently.
If a person is a dual citizen of more than one country, they may have their citizenship removed in Australia for reasons of national security.
In 14 EU nations, including Greece, France, and Romania, citizenship may be revoked for treason, disloyalty, or other national security concerns. In the Netherlands, it is also subject to arbitrary removal.
A report from the Institute on Statelessness and Inclusion claims that, aside from Bahrain, the UK has deported more citizens in recent years than any other nation.
