European Court Questions UK Over Begum Citizenship Ruling

Was Shamima Begum a trafficked child failed by the state, or a security threat rightly barred from Britain?
European Court Questions UK Over Begum Citizenship Ruling
Above: British-born Shamima Begum, originally from Bethnal Green, London in Roj camp, Syria, on March 14, 2021. Image credit: Sam Tarling/Getty Images

The Spin

Left narrative

Stripping a 15-year-old trafficking victim of citizenship while ignoring grooming and exploitation is a catastrophic failure of state duty. The government's refusal to acknowledge that Begum was lured and deceived for sexual exploitation demonstrates a complete abandonment of child protection obligations. Domestic courts have already conceded that officials failed to consider trafficking issues before making this precipitous decision.

Right narrative

National security must come first, and the decision to revoke Begum's citizenship has been tested and upheld repeatedly in domestic courts. Allowing someone who joined IS terrorists back into the country would be reckless and dangerous. The Supreme Court already found the citizenship revocation lawful, and foreign courts in Strasbourg shouldn't dictate who enters Britain.


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© 2026 Improve the News Foundation. All rights reserved.Version 6.20.1

© 2026 Improve the News Foundation.

All rights reserved.

Version 6.20.1