Portugal introduces ban on face coverings in public

Portugal has banned face coverings in public spaces after President Antonio Jose Seguro signed a law originally proposed by the right-wing Chega party.

Seguro approved the measure Tuesday, saying it addressed an issue of "great social and cultural sensitivity," according to a note by the Belem Palace, the presidential seat in Lisbon.

He said amendments made during the parliamentary process had persuaded him to sign the law.

Seguro cited social integration, non-discrimination and public security in supporting the measure, as well as European Court of Human Rights rulings concerning face coverings.

"For the President of the Republic, the uncovered face constitutes a structuring dimension of social trust, a characteristic of Portuguese society. Daily coexistence is based on mutual recognition and the possibility of establishing a direct relationship between people," said the statement.

"And to admit that women, and only women, must hide their entire faces implies an asymmetry incompatible with the values of parity and equal dignity between men and women, values that shape European democracies," it added.

"On the other hand, in a free society like ours, each person should be able to live their identity and beliefs within a set of common rules that provide a 'common experience,' a concept accepted by the European Court of Human Rights," it said.

Amnesty International Portugal has criticized the law as discriminatory, saying it threatens the rights of Muslim women who choose to cover their faces.

Portugal joins several European countries, including France, Belgium, Austria, Denmark and the Netherlands, with full or partial restrictions on face coverings in public.