Begum was born in East London, the daughter of parents from Bangladesh. While she was in a refugee camp in Syria, Sajid Javid, the interior minister at the time, revoked Begum’s British citizenship, arguing that she was eligible for Bangladesh citizenship.
The case caused a stir and an inevitable court battle, which ended up in the Supreme Court.
High-level judges effectively ruled against Begham, concluding that she could not return to the UK to appeal the decision, leaving her in no man’s land unable to return to Britain to fight her case. .
Davis escaped this fate. It is not clear why he was allowed to remain a UK citizen and the Home Office will never discuss, at least openly, specific cases out of court.
Larger case for revocation of citizenship
There is a greater demand for Davis to be stripped of his UK citizenship. He is a hardened fighter, even associated with the jihadist John’s execution squad, and has been convicted of terrorism. But unlike Begum and others in the camps, he was in a Turkish prison and the Ankara government wanted to get rid of him.
Having spent much of his childhood in The Gambia, where his father was born, Davis has more roots in that country than Begham in Bangladesh, where she has never lived. One problem could be a threat to Davis’ human rights if sent to The Gambia.
Despite reports linking Davis to the Islamic State execution squad, it seems unlikely that the United States will want to prosecute Davis. This could be a convenient option for the United Kingdom to take it out of our hands.
Two surviving members of the Beatles – Elsheikh and Kotay – were stripped of their British citizenship and sent to the United States to face justice, and both men have now been convicted of beheading and torture.
The interior ministry agreed to pass on extensive intelligence to the two to ensure prosecution. In return, the Ministry of Justice agreed to abolish the death penalty in the case.
U.S. prosecutors have instructed that there are only three participants in the hostage-taking scheme, despite reports of Davis’ involvement in the cell’s later activities.
This leaves Davis free to return to Britain. It is likely to be placed under a measure to prevent and investigate terrorism, placed under curfew and marked. But he will be free to walk the streets. Ministers will hold their breath.
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