France's justice minister has resigned over disagreements with a government plan to strip people convicted of terrorism of their French citizenship.
President Francois Hollande's office said in a statement on Wednesday that he had accepted the resignation of the minister, Christiane Taubira. The president thanked Taubira for her "conviction, determination and talent" during her tenure and specifically for her "major role" in the adoption of France's same-sex marriage law in 2013.
The citizenship plan is the latest in a string of strict security measures considered or imposed by the French government after the Nov. 13 Paris attacks in which 130 people were killed.
Many of the militants who carried out the attacks had dual citizenship and had joined the Islamic State (ISIS) group in Syria before returning to Europe.
The 63-year-old Taubira, herself a dual citizen as a native of French Guiana, objected to the government's proposals because they singled out those with dual nationality.
Taubira wrote on Twitter after stepping down that she was "proud" to have created a stronger ministry.
Fière. La Justice a gagné en solidité et en vitalité. Comme celles et ceux qui s'y dévouent chaque jour, je la rêve invaincue. ChT— Christiane Taubira (@ChTaubira) January 27, 2016
"Sometimes to resist is to stay, sometimes to resist is to leave. Out of loyalty to one oneself, to us. For the last word in ethics and law," she wrote in a second tweet.
Parfois résister c'est rester, parfois résister c'est partir. Par fidélité à soi, à nous. Pour le dernier mot à l'éthique et au droit. ChT— Christiane Taubira (@ChTaubira) January 27, 2016
Considered to have been one of the more progressive voices in the French government, Taubira took over the position after Hollande's election in 2012. She challenged the president on several issues, and specifically took issue with his security crackdown in the wake of the Paris attacks in January and November of last year.
Following the November attack Hollande declared a three-month state of emergency that grants authorities the power to carry out arrests and searches, and to limit the movement of persons and vehicles. Hollande is expected to extend the emergency measure when it expires in February. Polls show the public overwhelmingly supports the move.
Critics, however, say the draconian measures limit civil liberties and have turned France into a police state.
On Monday, experts from the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), strongly condemned France's state of emergency, saying it imposed "excessive and disproportionate restrictions on fundamental freedoms."