The battle over Shamima Begum's potential return to the UK has been reignited after European judges questioned the government's decision to strip the former ISIS bride of her British citizenship. The European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) has formally requested that the Home Office explain its reasoning for depriving Begum of citizenship, raising the possibility that her human rights may have been violated. Begum’s legal team has described the ECHR’s intervention as an "unprecedented opportunity" to reassess the handling of her case.

Currently 26, Begum remains in the al-Roj camp in Syria, a facility housing thousands of former jihadis. Despite losing previous appeals in UK courts, the ECHR has now intervened, asking whether her treatment violated human rights or anti-trafficking laws.

The court has asked the UK government four detailed questions, including whether her deprivation of citizenship could be considered a violation of Article 4 of the European Convention on Human Rights, which addresses human trafficking. 

Shadow Justice Secretary Robert Jenrick told the Daily Express: "Under no circumstances should Shamima Begum ever step foot in the UK again. She chose to get into bed with ISIS terrorists and must now live with the consequences.

"We don’t need a foreign court in Strasbourg to tell us who can or can’t come into this country. This is yet another glaring example of why we must leave the ECtHR and take back control of our borders."

Former Security Minister Sir Ben Wallace, who was part of the citizenship deprivation case for the Home Office, also told the Daily Express: "She went of her own free will to support a cause that doesn’t believe in any Western court. She wasn’t a victim. She knowingly and freely joined ISIS and assisted them in the prosecution of their murderous campaign. She deserved to lose her citizenship.

"The cheek of her going through a court system that she and the other terrorists would fundamentally want to destroy isn’t lost on anybody. She wanted to go there. She can stay there."

Experts and human rights advocates have pointed to the dire conditions in camps such as al-Hol and al-Roj. Citing a United Nations report, the Independent Commission on UK Counter-Terrorism Law, Policy, and Practice described life in these facilities as "inhuman, dangerous, and degrading," expressing urgent humanitarian concerns for those detained there.

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The report states: "Many detainees, especially women and children, are victims of coercion, trafficking, or exploitation, even if some have been involved in terrorism-related activity."

Shamima Begum left east London at the age of 15, travelling to Syria with two friends to join ISIS in 2015. She later became a child bride and had three children, all of whom died in infancy.

Her British citizenship was revoked in 2019 on the grounds that she could claim Bangladeshi nationality, a decision upheld by the UK Supreme Court that stated she was "a citizen of Bangladesh by descent." Born in the UK to Bangladeshi parents, she does not have Bangladeshi citizenship and Bangladesh said she would not be allowed in the country. 

A Home Office spokesperson said: "The Government will always protect the UK and its citizens.

"That is why Shamima Begum — who posed a national security threat - had her British citizenship revoked and is unable to return to the UK. We will robustly defend any decision made to protect our national security."