France’s ban on the niqab, the full-face Islamic veil, is a violation of human rights, the UN Human Rights Committee (UNHRC) said on Tuesday. The UNHRC called on Paris to review the legislation, giving it 180 days to reply with a set of actions it had taken on the issue. “In particular, the committee was not persuaded by France’s claim that a ban on face covering was necessary and proportionate from a security standpoint or for attaining the goal of ‘living together’ in society,” the UN committee said.