Shamima Begum ‘ought to be allowed UK return’ after six 12 months controversy, evaluate says
A bombshell report into Britain’s counter-terrorism policy has concluded that Shamima Begum should be allowed back into the UK after the 26-year-old was stripped of her British citizenship
A shocking inquiry into Britain’s counter-terrorism policy has determined that ISIS bride Shamima Begum should be allowed to return to the UK.
The British woman is presently residing in a Syrian detention facility, having left home to join Islamic State in 2015, aged just 15. This conclusion emerged following a three-year investigation conducted by the Independent Commission on UK Counterterrorism.
The committee stated that Begum,26, and other British nationals held in Syria should be brought back to the UK, reports the Express.
They warned that the camps threatened to tarnish the UK’s standing and could be perceived as “Britain’s Guantanamo.” Guantanamo Bay served as a facility to detain al-Qaeda suspects indefinitely and without trial in the aftermath of the 9/11 attacks in 2001.
As of 11 January 2024, thirty male suspects remained imprisoned at the detention facility. The findings indicated that permitting UK-linked individuals to stay in such Syrian facilities was “inconsistent” with human rights obligations.
“The government should facilitate the voluntary repatriation for British nationals, including those deprived of British nationality,” the report stated.
“It should appoint a special envoy to oversee repatriation and inform returnees of the likelihood of prosecution.
“As escapes from camps are likely to lead to some returns to the UK, an organised programme of return, rehabilitation and integration is the best long-term option for managing risk.”
Those on the commission’s panel included former Attorney General Dominic Grieve, Baroness Sayeeda Warsi, Richard Barrett, the ex-global counter-terrorism director of MI6, and former Greater Manchester Police chief Sir Peter Fahy.
It’s estimated that as many as 70 Brits are currently detained in Syrian camps, with a majority being women accompanied by their children.
In 2019, the UK government stripped Begum of her citizenship, who has since been battling to regain it and return to Britain for the last six years.
The move to revoke her British citizenship initially faced criticism from Sir Keir Starmer, who later reversed his stance due to “national security” concerns.
Begum had a brief conversation with the Daily Express from the ‘squalid’ camp, with journalists observing that “her eyes were somewhat sunken, and she seemed pale, as well as very thin”. This has reignited debate about whether Begum should ever be permitted to return to British soil.
As reported earlier this year, Begum is said to now sell food parcels she receives in a detention camp from aid agencies to gather enough money for Western attire and hair dye.
Last year, Begum sought to reverse the government’s 2019 decision to revoke her citizenship on grounds of national security.
However, in August 2024, judges determined that she would not be allowed to contest the revocation at the Supreme Court as her case “do not raise an arguable point of law”.
At the time, her solicitor Daniel Furner stated: “We are not going to stop fighting until she does get justice and until she is safely back home.”
