Czech man fails to win right to smile on his ID card

The Constitutional Court of the Czech Republic has rejected a complaint by a man who wanted a photo of himself smiling on his ID card. The Prague authorities refused to accept such a photo in issuing the ID, pointing to a decree that stipulates that people on ID card photographs must have a neutral expression and a closed mouth for identification purposes. The man tried to defend his case by stating that he was a member of the Church of Laughter (Ecclesia Risorum) and that smiling was a manifestation of his religion. When his request was refused, he filed a complaint to the Municipal Court in Prague, which dismissed the lawsuit on the grounds that the ID photo requirements did not interfere with the man's fundamental rights and freedoms and that it was not necessary to grant him an exemption on grounds of conscientious objection. The verdict was later upheld by the Supreme Administrative Court and the Constitutional Court, the highest court in the land.