On Wednesday, Switzerland's lower house of parliament approved a ban on the wearing of garments that cover the face, such as the burka and the niqab worn by Muslim women. The bill had already been passed by the upper house of parliament earlier this year, after
the majority of Swiss voters supported the relevant proposal in a referendum held two years ago.
Now that it has been greenlighted by the lower house, the new nation-wide law will allow fines of up to one thousand Swiss francs (about 1040 euros) to be imposed on anyone who breaks the rule. The ban applies to the public use of clothing covering the nose, mouth and eyes, including ski masks and other scarves, as well as religious clothing.
Two Swiss cantons, Ticino and Sankt Gallen, already had similar bans in place. With this new federal legislation, Switzerland joins Belgium and France, which have already brought laws banning clothing obscuring the face.
