The European Court of Human Rights has asked the UK government to explain its decision to strip Shamima Begum of her British citizenship. In questions sent to London in late December, the court is examining whether the move breached the UK’s obligations under anti-trafficking laws and Article 4 of the European Convention on Human Rights, which prohibits slavery and forced labour.

Begum was 15 when she left London in 2015 to join Islamic State in Syria. Her citizenship was removed in 2019 by then home secretary Sajid Javid on national security grounds, with the government arguing she was eligible for Bangladeshi citizenship through her parents. Since being located in Syria in 2019, Begum has repeatedly tried and failed through UK courts to return and restore her citizenship, and she remains held in a Kurdish-run detention camp.

Her lawyers argue UK authorities failed to consider whether she was trafficked, failed to protect her as a child at risk, and undermined any future investigation by stripping her citizenship. The ECHR is now assessing those claims as part of a wider case challenging the UK’s use of citizenship-stripping powers. A final ruling is expected after submissions from both sides.