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Romanian Tribunals Uphold Biometric Passports Over Religious Objections

By Howard M. Friedman

In Romania, both the Legal Commission of the Senate and the Romania Appeals Court have upheld the Emergency Government Ordinance introducing biometric passports despite protests that the new passports violate religious rights. The face image and fingerprints are digital in the new documents. EDRI reported last week that at the Appeals Court hearing, NGOs that brought the challenge argued that "the introduction of chips into passports affects the right to religion because it changes the name given by God into a figure." Some opponents had also claimed that the new passports included the figure "666", traditionally the mark of the beast from the Book of Revelation. Aurel-Vasile Sime, head of the General Division of passports, said that was not the case, and also said that Romanians had the option to choose temporary one-year passports without biometric elements.

Full post as published by Religion Clause on March 16, 2009 (boomark / email).