Portugal has enacted a nationwide ban on clothing that conceals a person’s face in most public spaces, with violations punishable by fines ranging from $175 to $3,500 and limited exemptions for settings including places of worship, diplomatic missions and aircraft.
By yourNEWS Media Newsroom
Portugal has begun enforcing a new law prohibiting most face coverings in public spaces, establishing financial penalties for violations under legislation widely described as the country’s “burqa law.”
President António José Seguro enacted the measure after it was approved by Portugal’s parliament in July, according to Euronews.
The law applies to clothing or other coverings that conceal the face or otherwise prevent a person from being identified in public. Although the legislation is written more broadly, it has been widely viewed as principally affecting Muslim women who wear garments such as burqas and niqabs.
People who violate the prohibition can face fines ranging from approximately $175 to $3,500.
The measure does not impose an absolute prohibition on facial coverings in every setting. Exceptions allow them in places of worship, diplomatic missions and aboard aircraft.
Seguro said the ability to see a person’s face has an important role in public interaction and identification.
“The face must be considered a central element of human identity and communication,” Seguro said in a statement late Tuesday.
The legislation was introduced by the Chega party and won parliamentary approval in July with backing from Portugal’s governing right-wing coalition and parties described as far-right. Left-wing parties opposed the measure.
The law also addresses circumstances in which a person is compelled to conceal his or her face. It prohibits forcing another individual to cover the face on the basis of gender, religion, age or origin.
Seguro acknowledged that the legislation involves questions extending beyond ordinary public-identification rules.
He described the subject as one of “great social and cultural sensitivity.”
The proposal faced criticism before becoming law.
The Portuguese Bar Association, the High Council of the Public Prosecutor’s Office and the Portuguese Association of Women Lawyers all issued negative opinions concerning the bill, according to Euronews.
Questions were also raised over whether the measure could face constitutional challenges.
Despite those objections, the legislation proceeded through parliament and was enacted by Seguro, placing Portugal among European countries that have imposed restrictions on garments that conceal the face in public.
Under the new rules, the central legal standard concerns whether a covering prevents identification rather than naming a particular religious garment. Burqas and niqabs nevertheless remain at the center of the political and cultural debate surrounding the measure because both can conceal substantial portions of a wearer’s face.
With the law now in force, individuals wearing prohibited face coverings in covered public spaces can be fined, while the specified exemptions remain available in religious, diplomatic and aviation settings.
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