Britain Urged to Come Clean on Shamima Begum After Spy Revelations

Ben Keith comments in The Times on 31 August 2022

Ben Keith comments in The Times regarding the revelation that the Metropolitan Police allegedly knew that a smuggler working for Canadian intelligence was responsible for helping Begum and two friends from Bethnal Green, east London, to join Islamic State in Syria in 2015.

Ben Keith said that if the allegations could be proved they would be “compelling evidence in [Begum’s] favour”.

“In that case, Begum would almost definitely be classed as a trafficked person under the definition of the UN trafficking convention, which has been incorporated into UK law.

“Under that convention, Begum would be seen as a victim and would have considerable protections — it is likely that the view would be that what happened in Syria was not her fault.”

The article, originally published on 31 August 2022, can be read in full on the Times' website, here.