Hundreds of women forced to remove their veils in Kyrgyzstan

Police officers in the Kyrgyz city of Osh conducted raids as part of a campaign to enforce the new law. Nearly 300 Muslim women were forced to remove their veils and given verbal warnings.

Earlier, the country passed a law banning women from wearing face masks, and starting February 1, a fine of 20,000 soms (about $230) was imposed for violating the ban.

For your information, Kyrgyzstan was the last country in Central Asia to restrict Islamic dress at the state level.

The government explains this primarily as a desire to preserve the secular character of the state.