Hawzah News Agency-New burka ban has been enforced in a Swiss canton, with one couple already being fined for defying it.

A Swiss woman, who has converted to Islam, and a French-Algerian businessman publically opposed the ban in the city of Locarno in the canton of Tessin when it came into effect last Friday.

Anyone caught wearing a veil in the canton, which is Italian speaking and predominently Roman Catholic, can reportedly be fined up to €9,200 (£7,890).

Nora Illi, a member of the Islamic Central Council Switzerland, purposefully defied the ban last Friday and was fined by police officers.

She was stopped alongside Rachid Nekkaz, a political activist. Mr Nekkaz was fined 200 Swiss francs (£160). Ms Illi faces a fine of between 100 - 10,000 Swiss francs (£80 - £8,000).

More than 65 per cent of voters approved the ban in a referendum in the canton in 2013.

The Saudi Arabian embassy in Bern warned its citizens visiting Switzerland about the ban.

"The embassy wishes to emphasise that the Ticino cantonal authorities in south eastern Switzerland have announced that as of July 1, 2016 they will start to enforce the burka (niqab) ban in public places in the canton, including in Lugano, Locarno, Magadino, Bellinzona, Ascona and Mendrisio," the embassy wrote on Twitter.

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