DHAKA: The father of London teenager Shamima Begum, who married a Daesh group militant in Syria, insisted in an interview on Monday that Britain must take her back before deciding any punishment.
Begum, who gave birth this month in a refugee camp, has said she wants to come home — but the British government has decided to revoke her citizenship, calling her a security threat.
The 19-year-old’s father Ahmed Ali said that while his daughter had made mistakes, Britain was duty-bound to let her return.
“The British government should take her back because she is a British citizen,” said Ali, who has been following Begum’s plight from a remote village in northeastern Bangladesh.
“If she has committed any crime, they should bring her back to London, to her country, and punish her there.”
Begum left the UK for Syria with two schoolfriends in 2015, when she was just 15, and her case has caused political divisions in Britain.
It highlights a dilemma facing many European countries, divided over whether to allow jihadists and IS sympathizers home to face prosecution or bar them as the so-called “caliphate” crumbles.
Public sentiment hardened against Begum after she showed little remorse about Daesh attacks in media interviews from the camp in eastern Syria, where she arrived after fleeing fighting between the terror group and US-backed forces.
Ali, 60, said comments he had made to a London newspaper saying he backed UK interior minister Sajid Javid’s decision to strip Begum of her nationality had been “misinterpreted.”
“I don’t think that (to revoke Begum’s citizenship) was a right thing to do,” he said.
“To err is human. You and I can both can make a mistake. It is OK to commit an error; all humans do that. One feels sad if a child commits a mistake,” he said.
Ali, who lives with his second wife in the village of Daorai in Sunamganj district, said he felt sorry for his daughter and believed she may have been brainwashed into joining Daesh.
“It was certainly a mistake to go to IS. Perhaps it was because she was a child. She may not have gone there (Syria) willingly. She may have been ill-advised by other people,” he said.
Ahmed last saw his daughter in Britain just two months before she fled to Syria with Kadiza Sultana and Amira Abase in March 2015.
He says she did not show any sign of having been radicalized. “I did not see any such thing at all.”
He also highlighted how the Bangladesh government has declared that Begum would not be allowed into the country.
The British government reportedly believes that Begum was entitled to claim Bangladesh citizenship, though this is disputed by the South Asian country.
“She can’t come to Bangladesh since she is not a citizen of this country,” he said.
Tasnime Akunjee, a lawyer for Begum’s family, earlier said the teenager was born in Britain and had never had a Bangladeshi passport.
Britain must take Daesh bride Shamima Begum back: father
Britain must take Daesh bride Shamima Begum back: father
- Shamima Begum, who gave birth this month in a refugee camp, has said she wants to come home
- But the British government has decided to revoke her citizenship, calling her a security threat
UN experts concerned by treatment of Palestine Action-linked hunger strikers
- Eight prisoners awaiting trial for alleged offences connected to the group have taken part in the protest
LONDON: UN human rights experts have raised concerns about the treatment of prisoners linked to Palestine Action who have been on hunger strike while on remand, warning it may breach the UK’s international human rights obligations.
Eight prisoners awaiting trial for alleged offences connected to the group have taken part in the protest, reported The Guardian on Friday.
Among them are Qesser Zuhrah and Amu Gib, who were on hunger strike at HMP Bronzefield from Nov. 2 to Dec. 23, and Heba Muraisi, held at HMP New Hall. Others include Teuta Hoxha, Kamran Ahmed and Lewie Chiaramello, who has refused food on alternate days due to diabetes.
Zuhrah and Gib temporarily resumed eating this week because of deteriorating health but said they plan to resume the hunger strike next year, according to Prisoners for Palestine.
In a statement issued on Friday, UN special rapporteurs, including Gina Romero and Francesca Albanese, said the handling of the prisoners was alarming.
“Hunger strike is often a measure of last resort by people who believe that their rights to protest and effective remedy have been exhausted. The state’s duty of care toward hunger strikers is heightened, not diminished,” they said.
Three of the prisoners were in hospital at the same time on Sunday, with Ahmed admitted on three occasions since the hunger strike began.
The experts said: “Authorities must ensure timely access to emergency and hospital care when clinically indicated, refrain from actions that may amount to pressure or retaliation, and respect medical ethics.”
Prisoners for Palestine has alleged that prison staff initially denied ambulance access for Zuhrah during a medical emergency last week, with hospital treatment only provided after protesters gathered outside the prison.
“These reports raise serious questions about compliance with international human rights law and standards, including obligations to protect life and prevent cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment,” the experts said, adding: “Preventable deaths in custody are never acceptable. The state bears full responsibility for the lives and wellbeing of those it detains. Urgent action is required now.”
Families and supporters have called for a meeting with Justice Secretary David Lammy, while lawyers claim the Ministry of Justice has failed to follow its own policy on handling hunger strikes.
Government officials are understood to be concerned about the prisoners’ condition but cautious about setting a wider precedent.
