Portugal's president António José Seguro has signed into law a ban on face coverings in public spaces, a measure critics say is specifically aimed at Muslim women who wear the niqab or burqa. The law, passed by parliament in July with support from the governing right-wing coalition and far-right parties, prohibits garments designed to conceal the face or prevent identification, with exemptions for health, professional, artistic, or weather-related purposes, as well as inside places of worship. Violators face fines of between €150 and €3,000, and rights groups have warned that such legislation undermines women's autonomy by dictating what they may wear.