UN experts deplore UK court's decision to revoke citizenship of former Daesh/ISIS member

By Burak Bir

LONDON (AA) - UN experts expressed "deep concern" Wednesday after a British court ruled to revoke the citizenship of Shamima Begum.

"Begum remains stripped of her citizenship, vulnerable, and denied assistance and protection as a possible victim of trafficking," the experts said in a statement.

They urged the UK to take "urgent action" to provide Begum with assistance and protection, including repatriation to the UK and to review and reconsider the citizenship ruling.

"Protections owed to victims of trafficking and those at risk of trafficking, especially children, must be respected to be meaningful," noted the experts.

The statement underlined that under international, European and UK law, any supposed question of "consent or voluntariness, or use of force, deception or coercion is irrelevant, where the victim of trafficking is a child."

"Given the continuing serious risk of irreparable harm, we urge British authorities to take steps to ensure Ms Begum’s protection and to follow the lead of many other governments who are now repatriating women and children from northeast Syria," it added.

Last month, the UK Court of Appeal dismissed an appeal by Begum, 24, who lost her citizenship for joining the Daesh/ISIS terror group in 2015.

Dubbed a "Daesh bride" for having left the UK to marry a member of the terror group, Begum lost the first stage of her appeal in 2021 in a decision by the Home Office to strip her of citizenship, which was revoked on national security grounds after she was found in a Syrian refugee camp in 2019.

Begum was 15 at the time of her departure.

Her parents are of Bangladeshi heritage.