Isis bride Shamima Begum’s ongoing effort to return to the UK has been stalled once again after her lawyer Tasnime Akunjee was held back by Syrian forces.
Akunjee travelled thousands of miles to the al-Roj camp in north-eastern Syria to get Begum’s signature on paperwork necessary to begin the appeal process against the British government’s decision to strip her of UK citizenship.
“She can’t get legal advice and I have even been there and tried, but got detained for my efforts,” said Akunjee. “It cannot be that this is in any way just.”
Akunjee spent weeks obtaining the correct permissions to enter the camp. But after arriving and being questioned by a number of officials, he was told he would not be able to see her. He knew which tent she was in, and even got aerial photographs. He stood in the camp where she was about two rows down and less than 50 metres from him. Akunjee has described the process as “frustrating”.
