A German court announced it will hear the appeal against a prohibition on silent prayer gatherings in the proximity of an abortion advisory centre.

This May, a lower court had dismissed the challenge of the leader of a prayer initiative to have restrictions on their prayer vigils lifted. Pavica Vojnović, the leader of the “40 Days for Life” group in Pforzheim, Germany, had challenged the ban on the grounds of the right to freedom of religion, assembly and speech. Her group is currently prohibited from gathering to peacefully pray in the proximity of a Pro Familia abortion advisory centre.

Experts welcomed the decision by the Administrative Court of Appeals in Mannheim, which called for the facts of the case to be established as required by the rule of law.