France Closes Mosques Using ‘Secretive Evidence’
Mosque representatives say these allegations are backed up with scant evidence.
According to Reuters, a growing number of mosques are being closed by France using powers that rights activists, the United Nations, and Muslims say give authorities a blank check to shut down places of worship without proper scrutiny.
Karim Daoud, head of his mosque in a northwest French town, said he was among those who visited a nearby Catholic church to express solidarity after a deadly extremist attack in 2020.
His mosque was later closed by the local interior ministry office for six months.
“It’s Kafka-esque," said Fionnuala Ni Aolain, a UN special rapporteur on the protection of human rights while countering terrorism, of the legal procedures used in such cases, which can include evidence where the source isn’t identified.
“The flirtation with secretive evidence is in itself worrying, but it also breaches” the right to a fair trial and equality before the law, she said.
France’s Interior Ministry told Reuters that Paris has strengthened its ability to prevent and combat terrorism over the past five years and that all legal measures adopted were “done in full respect of the rule of law.”
French President Emmanuel Macron has toughened his stance on law and order after a series of deadly extremist attacks in recent years.
For example, he implemented a raft of laws aimed at tackling violent extremism and radicals who challenge France’s secular values, Macron said.
However, critics say the French leader has given vast powers to security forces and chipped away at democratic protections, leaving Muslims vulnerable to abuse.
Source: i24news.tv
