UK Supreme Court Denies Shamima Begum's Appeal to Restore Citizenship

Shamima Begum, who left the UK at 15 to join Islamic State in Syria, has been refused permission to appeal the removal of her British citizenship by the UK Supreme Court. The decision came after a tribunal and the Court of Appeal also denied her claims, citing national security concerns.

Shamima Begum, a British-born woman who joined Islamic State in Syria as a schoolgirl, has been denied the right to appeal the UK government's decision to remove her British citizenship by the Supreme Court.

Begum, who left London in 2015 at the age of 15, traveled to Syria where she married an IS fighter and had three children, all of whom died as infants. The British government revoked Begum's citizenship in 2019, citing national security threats shortly after she was discovered in a detention camp.

Now 24, Begum argued against the decision, claiming she was a victim of trafficking. However, this argument was rejected by a specialist tribunal in February 2023 and the Court of Appeal earlier this year. The nation's highest court has ruled that her case does not present an arguable point of law, thus denying her appeal.

(With inputs from agencies.)