UK government vows to 'defend' decision to strip Shamima Begum of citizenship

The UK Home Secretary has vowed to defend the decision to revoke Shamima Begum's citizenship after a challenge from the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR). Begum, who traveled to Syria as a teenager to join the Islamic State group, had her citizenship stripped on national security grounds. The ECHR is questioning whether the UK government considered that Begum may have been a victim of trafficking and if the decision violated anti-trafficking obligations. A government source stated that national security remains the priority and the decision will be robustly defended.