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20th Feb 2019

Family of Shamima Begum considering legal action after decision to revoke British citizenship

Simon Lloyd

Shamima Begum moved to Syria when she was 15

The family of Shamima Begum, the teenager who left her home in east London to join Isis in Syria in 2015, are considering legal action after a decision from the Home Office to deprive her of her British citizenship.

Begum was 15 when she departed for Syria. Now 19, she reportedly left Isis’s last stronghold in Baghuz recently and is in a refugee camp in the country. From there, she has made it known she wants to return to the UK with her newborn baby.

Despite this, home secretary Sajid Javid has insisted he will do all he possibly can to block her return, informing Begum’s family of his decision to remove her citizenship in a letter, revealed by ITV.

This decision has disappointed Begum’s relatives, with the Guardian quoting lawyer Tasnime Akunjee as saying they are “considering all legal avenues to challenge the decision”.

Begum will have 28 days from when the order was made to appeal to the Special Immigration Appeals Commission about the decision.