16/07/2020
I have written previously about the issues surrounding Shamima Begum and the removal of her British Citizenship.
She was a young girl who, as a 15 year old child, left her country of birth to pursue a dream that had been planted in her mind through a grooming process that should have been prevented by the UK authorities.
I am not suggesting that she should be welcomed back into the UK and given automatic freedom. However, our nation should not try and walk away from our responsibilities.
I'm pretty sure that, if a descendant of a British citizen who had been born and raised in another country was accused of serious crimes and (without trial) had her birth citizenship removed, many people in the UK would react badly to the idea that they 'come back' to the UK.
Shamima should be allowed back into the UK and immediately be arrested for her crimes.
She should face a fair trial, which covers the bad things she had done, but acknowledges that she was groomed when she was a child.
I don't wish to assume what the outcome of that might be; I just think she should be brought back to the UK to be given access to her Article 6 rights under the Human Rights Act.
I recognise that the actions of the 'ISIS Bride' in going to Syria were contrary to our laws, but she was neglected by the UK system that failed to protect her when she was a child.
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