UN blasts "sinister" Swiss minaret ban posters

The U.N. Human Rights Committee on Tuesday criticized a "sinister" far-right Swiss poster campaign aimed at persuading voters to back a ban on minarets.

A committee member expressed concern over the "sinister posters" which have been put up ahead of a referendum on banning the construction of the Islamic mosque towers due to take place on November 29, a U.N. statement said.

The campaign poster, unveiled by the far-right Swiss People's Party, depicts a woman wearing a burqa against a background of a Swiss flag upon which several minarets resembling missiles are erected.

The posters already faced criticism last week from the Swiss Commission Against Racism, who said they defamed the country's Muslim minority and could threaten public order.

The U.N. committee, which includes 18 independent experts, also questioned on Tuesday whether the referendum was compatible with a U.N. rights charter.

Swiss representatives at the regular meeting to assess whether the country was implementing the rights charter said they had urged voters to reject the minaret construction ban.