Switzerland Passes Face-Veil Ban Into Law After National Vote

While the ban applies to all garments that cover a person’s full face, the campaign particularly focused on religious veils, with some Muslim women choosing to wear the burqa. 

Photographer: Fabrice Coffrini/AFP/Getty Images
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Switzerland’s parliament banned full-face coverings, a move believed to target wearers of the burqa, two years after 51% of the population backed such a measure in a national vote.

The law, spearheaded by a group close to the anti-immigrant Swiss People’s Party at the time, introduces a fine of as much as 1000 francs ($1116) for anyone who wears such a veil in public.