(Yle) The Court of Appeal in Turku has ruled that police officers were justified in their actions when they forcibly removed hijab head coverings from two female asylum seekers during an incident at a police station in the city of Hämeenlinna in May 2017.
Kanta-Häme District Court had previously cleared a total of seven defendants — comprising police officers and security guards — of all charges in relation to the incident, and the appeal court upheld this verdict on Thursday.
The court heard how the two women — citing their religious beliefs — refused to remove their head coverings for police to take registration photos, which were required in order to process their asylum applications.
