Begum

Conditions at Syrian al-Hol and al-Roj camps are “inhuman, dangerous, and degrading”, independent report says, urging UK to comply with international obligations.

The United Kingdom government should voluntarily facilitate the return of former repentant ISIL (ISIS) member Shamima Begum and others living in Syrian camps and deprived of British nationality, a new report has urged.

The Independent Commission on UK Counter-Terrorism Law, Policy and Practice said the current stance of the government towards nationals and former nationals detained in Syrian camps was “increasingly untenable” as they were living under “inhuman” conditions.

“The government should facilitate voluntary repatriation for British nationals, including those deprived of British nationality,” it asserted.

“A coherent, humane, and security-conscious repatriation strategy would strengthen compliance with international obligations and promote long-term public safety and social stability.”

Begum’s case lies at the heart of the UK policy of revoking the citizenship of nationals who joined armed groups in Syria. She left London in 2015 as a minor, at the age of 15, with two school friends, and later married an ISIL fighter. Begum gave birth to three children, all of whom died in infancy.

In 2019, the UK government revoked her citizenship soon after she was discovered in a detention camp in Syria.

Since then, she has challenged the decision, which was turned down by an appeals court in February 2024. Born in the UK to Bangladeshi parents, Begum does not hold Bangladeshi citizenship.

She had admitted that she joined the organisation knowing it was proscribed as a “terror” group, and has said she was “ashamed” and regretted joining the group.

Conditions at camps ‘dangerous’

Citing the United Nations, the report described conditions at the camps, including the infamous al-Hol and al-Roj camps, as “inhuman, dangerous, and degrading”.

“Many detainees, especially women and children, are victims of coercion, trafficking, or exploitation, even if some have been involved in terrorism-related activity,” it added.

According to the commission, between 55-72 UK-linked individuals remain in the camps and other detention centres, including 30-40 children.

The report said the UK’s “reluctance” to repatriate its citizens, including those stripped of their citizenship, made it an “outlier” among “comparable jurisdictions” and could prove to be “counterproductive to long-term security interests”.

“Pressure from the US government, which has called for all states to take back their nationals, the change in the Syrian regime, and as other states repatriate, the prospect of what was referred to as ‘Europe’s Guantanamo’ becoming ‘Britain’s Guantanamo’, may force the government to begin returns,” the report pointed out.