A Muslim woman dressed in niqab (veil which covers the body and leaves only a small strip for the eyes) walks through the streets of Brussels | Julien Warnand/AFP via Getty Images Court upholds Belgian face veil ban European Court of Human Rights deemed the ban “necessary in a democratic society.”

The European Court of Human Rights ruled Tuesday that a Belgian ban on wearing the niqab or other full-face covering is lawful.

The Belgian law guarantees the "protection of the rights and freedoms of others" and is "necessary in a democratic society," according to the court in Strasbourg, which ruled that the move does not violate the European Convention on Human Rights.

In June 2011, Belgium introduced a law that outlaws appearing in public "with a face masked or hidden, in whole or in part, in such a way as to be unidentifiable." Those who break the law face fines, while repeat offenders can receive prison sentences.

Belgian lawmakers argued the ban was in the interest of "public safety, gender equality and a certain conception of 'living together' in society."

The case was brought to the court by Samia Belcacemi, a Belgian national, and Yamina Oussar, a Moroccan, both of whom said they donned the niqab — which covers the whole face except for the eyes — voluntarily and in keeping with their Muslim faith.

The two women argued that the ban went against the European Convention on Human Rights and violated their religious rights. Belcacemi said she stopped wearing the veil in public soon after it was banned for fear of being fined or jailed, while Oussar told the court she decided to stay at home.

In 2014, the court upheld a French ban on full-face veils.

France was the first EU member to introduce a nationwide ban on full-face veils in 2011. Belgium followed suit later in the year. Since then, Bulgaria, Latvia, the Netherlands and Austria have put in place similar restrictions.