Crimean Muslim denied right to be photographed in headscarf

The Crimean District Administrative Court has refused to accept the right of a Muslim woman to use a photograph in a headscarf for her driving licence.

Zilekha Kadyrova had applied to the court against the Crimean State Car Inspection after being refused permission to have her photograph wearing a scarf on the licence.

Ms Kadyrova’s representative asserts that the court was biased against the claimant from the outset and subjective in approach.

From the report here

This is not the first time Ukrainian courts have upheld bans on having ones photograph taken wearing the traditional headscarf.

In 2010 the Kyiv District Administrative Court rejected the suit brought on behalf of 25-year-old Susanna Ismailova from Bakhchysarai. She had asked the court to order the Ministry of Internal Affairs [MIA] to allow her to have a passport photo taken in her headscarf.

The court deemed that Ms Ismailova’s rights were not restricted by the insistence that she be photographed without the scarf.