European Court challenges UK on Shamima Begum citizenship revocation

The European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) has called on the UK government to justify its decision to strip Shamima Begum of her citizenship. Begum traveled to Syria at age 15 to join the Islamic State (IS) group and had her citizenship revoked in 2019 on national security grounds. The ECHR is questioning whether the UK violated anti-trafficking obligations, given concerns that Begum was groomed and trafficked. The UK government's original justification also relied on her eligibility for a Bangladeshi passport through her parents.