AKIPRESS.COM - The Dutch upper house of parliament has passed a law banning face veils in public buildings, including schools, government offices and hospitals, Al Jazeera reported.

The lower house passed the law in 2016, after attempts to impose a more general ban on burqas and other face-covering veils failed.

Proponents of the law say it is meant to make schools, hospitals and public transport safer, but critics say its only aim is to get rid of veils, such as the burqa and niqab.

The Dutch government's main advising body in 2015 said the choice to wear a veil is protected by the constitutional right to freedom of religion, and that it saw no ground to limit that right.

Existing legislation in the Netherlands already limits the wearing of burqas and other total face-coverings on public transport or in schools.