Humanists UK has called on the UN Human Rights Council to take greater action to protect the human rights of religious and non-religious minority groups in Afghanistan facing persecution in the wake of the Taliban takeover.

Speaking via a video intervention, Humanists UK Chief Executive Andrew Copson stated,

‘Even before the Taliban takeover, Afghanistan was one of the 13 countries where blasphemy or apostasy is punishable by death. The Taliban’s history and current actions suggest that they will use such laws as a cover for the systematic persecution of religious and non-religious minorities, including humanists, Sikhs, Christians, and Shiite Muslims. We ask the Council, what steps can be taken to ensure that the Taliban maintain international commitments to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights?