Kazakhstan law bans face coverings in public places

Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev has signed a law to ban face coverings in public places and jointed a trend in several Central Asian countries to restrict forms of Islamic dress.

The text of the law which was signed by the president on Monday said clothing that "interferes with facial recognition" will be banned in public, with exemptions for medical purposes, in adverse weather conditions and at sporting and cultural events.

The legislation, one in a series of wider amendments signed into law on Monday, does not explicitly mention religion or types of religious dress.

Tokayev has previously praised the legislation as an opportunity to celebrate ethnic identity in Kazakhstan, a majority-Muslim country and former Soviet republic.

"Rather than wearing face-concealing black robes, it's much better to wear clothes in the national style," he was quoted by Kazakh media as saying earlier this year.

"Our national clothes vividly emphasise our ethnic identity, so we need to popularise them comprehensively."

Other Central Asian countries have introduced similar laws in recent years.

Police in Kyrgyzstan have conducted street patrols to enforce their ban on the Islamic niqab face veil, according to local media reports. In Uzbekistan, violating the niqab statute carries a fine of over $250.

Tajik President Emomali Rakhmon signed a ban on wearing clothing in public that is "alien to national culture."