Teenage ISIS recruit Shamima Begum would “face the death penalty” if she were to go to Bangladesh, the country’s foreign minister has said.
Ms Begum, now 19, was stripped of her British citizenship in February after giving a series of news interviews about her time in the ISIS enclave. British lawmakers said they were not making her stateless because she had the ability to claim Bangladeshi citizenship through her mother.
In an interview with the BBC, Abdul Momen said there was “no question” of his country awarding Ms Begum citizenship.
Mr Momen told the British broadcaster Ms Begum had not sought Bangladeshi citizenship, but if she did arrive in Bangladesh she could be subject to its anti-terror laws.
"Bangladeshi law is very clear. Terrorists will have to face the death penalty," he said.
Ms Begum left the UK with two other schoolgirls in 2015 to join the terror group. She later married ISIS fighter Yago Riedijk, with whom she had three children, all of whom later died. Both Mr Riedijk and his wife have expressed an interest in moving to his home country of The Netherlands.
"The British government is responsible for her. They'll have to deal with her,” Mr Momen said, confirming Bangladeshi government statements on the case in February.
Ms Begum is currently fighting against the removal of her citizenship and was awarded legal aid to assist her two weeks ago.
A home office spokesman said that it did not comment on individual cases, but decisions to revoke a national’s citizenship “are based on all available evidence and not taken lightly”.
Kurdish forces, who hold many of the estimated 1,000 foreign fighters now in captivity, have called for an international tribunal to try ISIS members.
