Shamima Begum's return to UK put on hold

Shamima Begum will not be allowed to return to the UK to challenge being stripped of her citizenship until the country’s Supreme Court has made a ruling on a decision to let her back into the country, reports Mail Online.

Lawyers for the UK government were granted leave to appeal to the highest court in the land and challenge an earlier ruling that allowed Begum to appear in person and argue against being stripped of her citizenship.

Three Appeal Court judges agreed there should be a stay on any movement until after the Supreme Court had made their ruling which is expected later this year.

Lady Justice King, sitting remotely with Lord Justice Singh and Lord Justice Flaux, ruled that the appeal against her return should be heard by the Supreme Court.

The three judges had earlier this month ruled that Begun, who fled to Syria when she was 15 years old permission to return from the refugee camp where she is held to appear in person before an immigration appeals board.

Lawyers for the UK government had insisted that she posed a risk to national security and should not be allowed back into the UK.

In the remote hearing today Sir James Eadie for the Government said while there was some sympathy for Begun due to her age she had chosen to ‘align herself with terrorists’.

‘She did leave with intent and did align herself with violent extremists in Syria with Isis,’ he said.

‘There is a big issue at stake here. What principals should govern a case where a person can get a fair hearing because they have placed themselves, not as a result of any Secretary of State action but where that is the result of going abroad and aligning with terrorists groups.

Shamima Begum was one of three east London schoolgirls who travelled to Syria to join the Islamic State group in February 2015.

She was 15 years old and about to sit her GCSE exams when having claimed to have been ‘groomed’ by watching videos of people being executed she decided to flee to Syria and join terror organistion.

She lived under IS rule for more than three years before she was found, nine months pregnant, in a Syrian refugee camp in February last year.

The then UK home secretary Sajid Javid, revoked her British citizenship on national security grounds after she was discovered nine months pregnant in a refugee camp.