France's ban on the niqab has been ruled a violation of human rights, The U.N. Human Rights Committee said on Tuesday.
In a landmark ruling the UN moved to support wearers of the full-body Islamic veil and ordered France to repay two French women convicted for wearing niqabs in 2012.
The committee said in a statement that France had failed to make the case for its so-called 'burqa ban' and ordered it to review the legislation.
A panel of independent experts who oversee countries´ compliance with the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, said France had 180 days to report back to say what actions it had taken.
The panel's findings are not legally binding but could influence French courts.
The committee called for the women to be compensated and for a review of the 2010 law that forbids people from publicly wearing clothing that conceals their face.
'The French law disproportionately harmed the petitioners' right to manifest their religious beliefs,' the committee said in a statement.
'The ban, rather than protecting fully veiled women, could have the opposite effect of confining them to their homes, impeding their access to public services and marginalising them,' the committee said.
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