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The image of Shamima Begum is familiar to most people in the UK, and many around the globe.\u00a0 The twists and turns in her tragic story have played out in front of the world\u2019s media, since she ran away as a fifteen year old to be part of ISIL (the so-called Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant) in 2015. \u00a0\u00a0She was found by a journalist in 2019, living in a Syrian refugee camp.\u00a0 Ms Begum had married an ISIL fighter, and by this stage was heavily pregnant with her third child.\u00a0\u00a0 Her two older children had already died, and this baby would also lose the fight for survival in the brutal conditions of the camp.\u00a0 Her husband, a Dutch national called Yago Riedijk, is believed to be in a Kurdish run detention centre, elsewhere in northern Syria.<\/p>\n
In 2019 the Home Secretary revoked Ms Begum\u2019s British citizenship, on the basis that she was a security risk, and that the action would not jeopardise her Article 2 right to life or Article 3 right to freedom from torture and inhuman or degrading treatment.\u00a0\u00a0 It was also asserted that she would not be rendered stateless, as she had dual UK\/Bangladeshi citizenship (although Bangladesh denied this).<\/p>\n
The latest chapter in the saga has been the Supreme Court ruling in relation to her bid to return to the UK. Previously, the Court of Appeal had found that she should be allowed to return, as it would be impossible to effectively and safely appeal the revocation of her citizenship whilst acting remotely from the camp.\u00a0 Nevertheless, the Supreme Court reversed this finding, concluding:<\/p>\n
There are many aspects to this ruling which could, and no doubt will, be discussed at length by legal professionals and academics, but one facet which strikes us is the stark contrast between the Supreme Court and Court of Appeal in approaching the right to a fair hearing.\u00a0\u00a0 The higher court was crystal clear that an individual\u2019s right to a fair hearing could be denied, or at least delayed, for the public good.\u00a0 Although this is instinctively troubling, is it necessarily incorrect?<\/p>\n
It is unquestionable that Article 6 (the provision of the ECHR guaranteeing the right to a fair hearing) is an absolute<\/em> right. In other words, the Convention text does not provide State parties with the scope to limit its application if it is necessary and proportionate to do so, in a similar way to the Article 9 right to freedom of belief, or the Article 10 right to freedom of expression. Therefore, the drafting of the Convention does favour the approach of the Court of Appeal.<\/p>\n It was also noticeable, reading the judgment, that the Supreme Court did not deal with the Common Law right to a fair trial which it had previously articulated in the UNISON case. Even though there were crucial Common Law elements to Ms Begum\u2019s arguments, this one did not feature.\u00a0 It was not criticised, rejected or deemed inapplicable, this right to a fair trial was an unmentioned elephant in the room.<\/p>\n We wonder whether there is a political element to this approach.\u00a0 The Human Rights Act is currently under review, and there is a strong, right wing conservative majority in the House of Commons.\u00a0\u00a0 Is the Supreme Court anxious to send a message that judges will respect their constitutional position, and that no action is necessary to restrain judicial over enthusiasm? Is this somehow a message that the judiciary are back to the traditional doctrine of judicial deference, after decisions such as Miller 2?\u00a0 Or is it simply that the facts of this case were unusual and extreme, and the Supreme Court quite properly reasserted the orthodox and necessary position that executive decision-makers are responsible for making complex determinations on questions of national security and this is no reflection whatsoever about the findings of recent key cases?<\/p>\n What the future holds for Shamima Begum remains unclear, but the wider future of human rights and the right to a fair trial is also in doubt.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Only time will tell whether this ruling is represents a response to a unique set of circumstances, or signals a dramatic change in tone and direction from the Supreme Court.<\/p>\n Related Articles<\/strong><\/p>\n R (Begum) v Special Immigration Appeals Commission [2021] UKSC 7<\/a><\/p>\n Independent Human Rights Act Review<\/a><\/p>\n 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