France has been ordered by the UN to pay compensation to women who were convicted for wearing niqabs. The Human Rights Committee said that the banning of the full-face Islamic veil was a violation of their human rights and ordered the country to review its legislation. France had failed to make the case for its ban, the committee said, and gave Paris 180 days to report back to say what actions it had taken.
In particular, 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,’ it said. The panel of 18 independent experts oversees compliance with the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR).
Implementation of its decisions is not mandatory, but under an optional protocol of the treaty, France has an international legal obligation to comply ‘in good faith’. A French foreign ministry spokesman said the law was legitimate, necessary and respected religious freedom. The ban applies to hiding one’s face, not to any type of religious clothing that leaves the face uncovered, he told reporters.