The United Nations Human Rights Committee has denounced the ban on the face veil Nikab in France. The country thereby violates the religious freedom and the human rights of the wearers, said the committee in Geneva.
Two Muslim French women had called the panel after they had to pay a fine in 2012 for wearing the Nikabs in public. In 2011, France was the first country in Europe to banish the full-body veil burka and the Nikab, which completely covers the face down to the eyes.
Since then, women who wear a full veil in public face a fine of 150 euros. The European Court of Human Rights declared the disguising ban in France in 2014 to be lawful.
Government rejects allegations
The 18 members of the UN Human Rights Committee have now urged France to compensate the women and revise the law. Your recommendations are not binding.
The Committee does not consider the prohibition necessary for the coexistence of French society or for the guarantee of public security. Although committee chairman Yuval Shany emphasized that he and other committee members see "a form of suppression" of women in the Nikab. However, a ban could lead to the carriers no longer leaving their home.
The French government rejected the criticism immediately. The concealment of the face was incompatible with the fundamental values of a democratic and open society, the Foreign Office said in Paris. The ministry referred to a ruling by the European Court of Human Rights and announced that it would defend its position in a statement to the UN Human Rights Committee.