Canada top court rules witnesses may wear face-coverings in some cases
The Supreme Court of Canada ruled Thursday that trial court judges may determine on a case-by-case basis whether a Muslim woman should be required to remove her niqab while testifying in court. The split-decision...
JURIST Guest Columnist Maurits Berger of Leiden University says the legal arguments in support of the burqa ban are feeble because their alleged rationale differs distinctively from the true aim: societal discomfort and the attempt to define national identity in...
Canada high court rules rights tribunal cannot award legal costs
The Supreme Court of Canada Friday declared that the Canadian Human Rights Tribunal (CHRT) does not have the power to award compensation for legal costs. The high court's 7-0 decision states that the language used...
France court issues first fines for wearing full-face veils in public
A French court in Meaux on Thursday fined two Muslim women for violating the controversial French law that bans wearing full-face veils in public, including the Islamic burqa and niqab [BBC backgrounder; JURIST...
The New South Wales (NSW) government is set to propose legislation next week that will require anyone wearing face coverings, including religious veils, to remove them if requested by police for identification purposes. Refusal could result in...
The Constitutional Affairs Committee , an Italian parliamentary commission, on Tuesday approved a draft law that bans women from wearing full-face veils, including the Islamic burqa [JURIST...
Council of Europe (COE) Human Rights Commissioner Thomas Hammarberg on Wednesday condemned the flurry of burqa and niqab bans that have been implemented recently around...
Georgia judge reverses decision, permits religious headwear in courtroom
A Georgia state court judge on Monday reversed his earlier decision blocking a Muslim man from entering his courtroom on three separate occasions on account of the man's religious headwear. Troy "Tariq" Montgomery wears a tight-fitting cap called a...
Canada Supreme Court to review ban on Muslim veil during testimony
The Supreme Court of Canada has agreed to review a lower court order requiring a Muslim woman to remove her niqab while testifying. The Court of Appeal for Ontario in October ruled [JURIST...
French Prime Minister Francois Fillon confirmed in the Official Journal Thursday that the controversial law banning the burqa and other face coverings in...
