Stasi Commission

The French commission Stasi is a commission set up to reflect upon the application of the laïcité principle. Named after the chair Bernard Stasi, ombudsman of the (French) Republic (médiateur de la République) since 1998, and consisting of 20 members (among which Régis Debray), it was set up by the president of the Republic Jacques Chirac on 3 July 2003. It reported its conclusions on 11 December 2003. During this time, the commission interviewed various representatives from different groups, for example religious leaders such as Cardinal Lustiger, school headteachers, political leaders, equal-rights groups and social groups (for example the Ni Putes Ni Soumises), and eventually led to the introduction of the French law on secularity and conspicuous religious symbols in schools.

initial content translated from the article 'Laïcité et égalité, leviers de l'émancipation' by Henri Peña-Ruiz, Le Monde diplomatique, February 2004, page 9