France’s state-run France 2TV reports that nearly 300 women have been fined since a French ban on the burqa and other Islamic face coverings went into effect a year ago.

The report says the French Ministry of Interior discovered 354 women wearing the burqa or the niqab over the past year. It says 299 women were fined.

A human rights organization opposing the burqa ban said 88 percent of the women caught wearing the head garments had French citizenship and 33 percent were born in France.

France introduced the much-debated burqa ban in April last year. It mandates that women cannot wear the burqa or other Islamic face coverings in public places such as government buildings, hospitals, schools or while using public transportation.