The Supreme Court of the Czech Republic rejected an appeal of the Prague secondary medical school against the suspension of proceedings over a Somali student wearing a hijab during classes. The school stated that it wanted to continue the proceedings to set a precedent for other cases.
The student withdrew her lawsuit some time ago, but the school wanted the courts to give a clear opinion on whether or not wearing a hijab could be banned.
“The appeal was rejected. We were fighting against stopping the proceedings. We thought that it was in the public interest for the court to decide on the heart of the matter, not to stop it,” said the school’s lawyer Radek Suchý, adding that the school will consider filing a constitutional complaint.
The Somali student stated that she had left the medical school in Prague when the principal asked her in September 2013 to take off her hijab. In 2016, the girl sued the school, demanding an apology and 60,000 korunas (€2,435). The lawsuit was unsuccessful at the District Court for Prague 10 and the Municipal Court in Prague.
Last January, Prague’s Municipal Court ruled on the final suspension of the proceedings. The young woman justified the withdrawal of her lawsuit by saying she fears hate attacks. Previously, the Czech Supreme Court stated that the ban on the Muslim headscarf during theoretical classes had no legitimate reason and that Czechia must not discriminate against any religions.
