Shamima Begum’s Ban From Britain Challenged by European Judges
31st December 2025
Shamima Begum has had her bid to come back to Britain revived by a challenge from European judges.
The European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) has asked Britain to justify its decision to strip the 26-year-old of her citizenship in 2019 after she travelled to Syria to join Islamic State (IS).
The ECtHR intervention was hailed by Begum’s lawyers as an “unprecedented opportunity” that could pave the way for a fresh legal battle between the Strasbourg court and the Government.
The European judges have asked the Government whether it broke human rights and anti-trafficking laws by blocking her return to the UK – Begum’s key legal argument.
Begum was born and raised in Bethnal Green, east London, before travelling to Syria at the age of 15 with two other friends from school to join IS in 2015.