France's niqab ban violates human rights, says UN committee

October 24, 2018 00:02

France's niqab ban violates the human rights of Muslim women and risks "confining them to their homes," the United Nations Human Rights Committee said.

The committee said two women fined for wearing the full-face Islamic veils should be compensated and it called on France to review its controversial 2010 law banning the garment.

"The French law disproportionately harmed the petitioners' right to manifest their religious beliefs," the committee said in a statement, adding that France had not adequately explained the need for the ban.

"The Committee was not persuaded by France's claim that a ban on face covering was necessary and proportionate from a security standpoint or for attaining the goal of 'living together' in society," they said.

Women in France can be fined up to 150 euros for wearing the niqab, a full-face veil with an opening for the eyes, under a law that came into effect in 2011 prohibiting the wearing of headgear covering the face.

Denmark and the Netherlands have passed similar bans on face-covering garments since the French law came into effect, while German Chancellor Angela Merkel has called for legislation to do the same.

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