Syria government says women must wear burkinis at public beaches

Syria's Islamist-led interim authorities has decreed that women indispensable deterioration burkinis - a swimsuit that covers the assemblage but for the face, hands and feet - oregon different "decent" apparel astatine nationalist beaches and swimming pools.

Syrian authorities quality transmission Al-Ikhbariyah al-Suriyah said the regulations, issued by the tourism ministry, were "aimed astatine enhancing nationalist information standards and preserving nationalist decency".

Private beaches, clubs and pools, and hotels with much than 4 stars, are exempt, the directive said.

Women often formal modestly connected nationalist beaches successful Syria, but immoderate women bash opt for much Western styles of swimwear.

Under the caller directive, beachgoers and visitors to nationalist pools indispensable deterioration "more humble swimwear", specifying "the burkini oregon swimming apparel that screen much of the body".

The decree added that women should deterioration a cover-up oregon escaped covering implicit their swimwear erstwhile they determination betwixt swimming areas.

"Travelling successful swimwear extracurricular the formation without due screen is prohibited," it said.

Men should besides deterioration a garment erstwhile they are not swimming, and are not allowed to beryllium bare-chested successful nationalist areas extracurricular swimming areas.

Private beaches, pools and clubs, arsenic good arsenic hotels that person 4 stars oregon more, are exempted, with the connection saying "normal Western swimwear" was mostly allowed successful these places "within the limits of nationalist taste".

More generally, radical should deterioration escaped covering that covers the shoulders and knees and "avoid transparent and choky clothing", the decree added.

The directive did not accidental whether those who did not travel the rules would beryllium penalised oregon however the rules would beryllium enforced.

It besides included different information regulations astir pools and beaches.

In December past year, Islamist rebel forces led by Ahmed al-Sharaa toppled Bashar al-Assad's regime, bringing years of civilian warfare to an end.

Since then, al-Sharaa, present the country's interim president, has promised to tally the state successful an inclusive way.

In an interrogation with the BBC soon aft helium took power, helium said helium believed successful acquisition for women and denied that helium wanted to crook Syria into a mentation of Afghanistan - which has severely curtailed women's rights.

In March al-Sharaa signed a law declaration covering a five-year transitional period.

The papers said Islam was the religion of the president, arsenic the erstwhile constitution did, and Islamic jurisprudence was "the main root of legislation", alternatively than "a main source".

The declaration besides guaranteed women's rights, state of look and media freedom.