The European Court of Human Rights has upheld France's ban on the Muslim burqa and other full-face coverings in public.
The Strasbourg court ruled Tuesday that the ban does not violate religious freedom. It says the French government's desire to encourage people to live together is a legitimate reason for the ban.
Decisions by the court cannot be appealed.
A French Muslim woman brought suit against the ban. Her lawyer argued that the burqa is as much a part of her identity as her own DNA.
French authorities banned the veil in public in 2012, calling it a security risk because it conceals the wearer's identity.
France has Europe's largest Muslim population, but is officially a secular country
