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Face coverings in Sri Lanka banned after Easter attacks

  • Published at 01:35 pm April 29th, 2019
SRI LANKA-BLAST/
Sri Lankan military stand guard in front of the St. Anthony's Shrine, Kochchikade church after an explosion in Colombo, Sri Lanka April 21, 2019 Reuters

Many perceive that the law targets those who wear a niqab or burqa

Sri Lanka has imposed restrictions on its citizens from wearing face coverings, following a series of suicide bombings that left 250 people dead and hundreds injured.

Sri Lankan President Maithruipala Sisirsena imposed the ban under an emergency law, effective from Monday, reports BBC.

The president’s office said face coverings of any kind that "hinder identification" will be banned for the sake of national security. 


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Although the attire of some Muslim women—niqab and burqa—were not specifically mentioned, the law is perceived as targeting their garments.

Sri Lanka remains on high alert eight days after Islamist attacks hit churches and hotels. Although dozens of suspects have been arrested, local officials warned that more militants remain at-large.