IS bride appeals for financial aid to fight UK citizenship case

Runaway IS bride Shamima Begum will receive the UK taxpayer-funded legal aid to fight against the government's revocation of her British citizenship, according to UK media reports on Monday.

The 19-year-old London schoolgirl of Bangladeshi descent, who fled the UK to join the Islamic State (IS) terrorist network in Syria over four years ago, was stripped of her British citizenship by UK Home Secretary Sajid Javid in February this year after she appealed for safe passage back to the country of her birth from a Syrian refugee camp.

Her family had said it planned to challenge the decision.

The UK's Legal Aid Agency decided to assist Begum in response to an application made on March 19, the reports said.

According to Britain's legal aid system, financial assistance is provided by the taxpayers to those who are unable to afford legal representation themselves, regardless of their citizenship, whether they are accused of a crime or a victim who seeks the help of a lawyer through the court process.

The reports of Begum's access to the aid was received with some concern within the UK government circles, with UK Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt saying the Legal Aid Agency's decision to assist Begum has made him "very uncomfortable."
A Legal Aid Agency spokesperson said: "We are unable to comment on individual cases. Anybody applying for legal aid in a SIAC case is subject to strict eligibility tests."