Watchdog

Human Rights Watch says a ruling by the European Court of Human Rights approving France's ban on full-face veils is "discriminatory" and breaches the rights of Muslim women.

The court on July 1 upheld France's 2010 blanket ban on wearing the niqab and burqa in public, saying it did not violate religious freedom and aimed to ensure respect for basic democratic values.

Human Rights Watch, however, described the court's decision as "disappointing."

In a statement released on July 3, the U.S.-based rights watchdog said the ban had "a disproportionate impact on Muslim women" and breached the rights to freedom of religion and expression of those who choose to wear full-face veils.

France has the largest Muslim minority in Europe, estimated at 5 million.

Lawyers for detained Tajik researcher Aleksandr Sodikov say they have been granted permission to meet with their client for the first time since his arrest.

Abdulkayum Yusufi told RFE/RL that he and his colleague, Hasan Kavrakov, have been told that they will be granted access to Sodikov on July 3.

The two lawyers have been hired by Sodikov's family.

Sodikov's former lawyer, who was appointed by the authorities, met him only once after his arrest last month.

Sodikov, 31, a Tajik national residing in Canada, was detained in Tajikistan's southern city of Khorugh on June 16, shortly after speaking with civil society activists there.

He was later charged with high treason and spying.

Sodikov said he had been touring Central Asia as part of his doctoral research at Britain’s University of Exeter and the University of Toronto.