Human rights court upholds French ban on full-face veils

(ANSA) - Rome, July 1 - The European Court of Human Rights on Tuesday upheld France's controversial ban on the wearing of Muslim full-face veils in public.
    French law says nobody can wear clothing intended to conceal the face in a public space . The penalty for doing is a 150-euro fine or obligatory citizenship instruction.
    The Strasbourg court upheld the ban by rejecting a case brought by 24-year-old French woman, who argued it violated her freedom of religion and expression.
    Around five million Muslims live in France although only a tiny minority of women there wear full veils.
    Human rights organization Amnesty International criticised the decision. "This ruling will end up forcing a small minority to live apart, as it effectively obliges women to choose between the expressing their religious beliefs and being in public," said John Dalhuisen, Europe and Central Asia Programme Director at Amnesty International.