Dakir v. Belgium
European Court of Human Rights
App. No. 4619/12 (2017)
Relevant factsFree
Belgium (defendant) banned public face coverings, and Dakir (plaintiff), a Muslim woman who wore a niqab, challenged the law as violating her Convention rights to private life, religious freedom, and expression; Belgium's stated purposes included public safety, gender equality, and fostering a societal model of open interaction among individuals.
IssueFree
Whether face-covering bans that a country considers necessary to protect legitimate societal interests and that do not disproportionately restrict individual rights violate the European Convention on Human Rights.