Following today’s vote by Bulgaria's parliament to ban the wearing of face veils in public, Amnesty International’s Europe Director, John Dalhuisen said:

“Women in Bulgaria should be free to dress as they please and to wear the burqa or the niqab as an expression of their identity or beliefs. This ban violates their rights to freedom of expression and religion.

“This law is part of a disturbing trend of intolerance, xenophobia and racism in Bulgaria.

“Legitimate security concerns can be met with targeted restrictions on the complete covering of the face in well-defined high-risk locations and not through a blanket discriminatory ban such as this.”