Christine Defraigne (French pronunciation: [kʁistin dəfʁɛɲ]; born 1962[1][2]) is a Belgian politician and a member of the MR. She was the President of the Belgian Senate, in office 2014 to 2018.

[3] In 2009 Christine Defraigne proposed a nationwide ban of the burqa.

[5] Her proposal (together with Joseph Arens) to stop slaughtering animals without anesthesia (like ritual slaughter) resulted in a ban on this practice in Wallonia.

[7][8] In 2016 she was criticized for wearing a headscarf while visiting Tehran.

Her decision to visit the country and wear a hijab was heavily criticized by Iranian born Belgian activist Darya Safai who accused Defraigne of condoning oppressive policies created by the Iranian government.