Afghanistan: Religious Freedom and Women's Rights

Further to the answer provided in the House of Lords on 9 June in response to Question HL416, which I have included below for ease:

"Afghanistan is a focus country for the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office's strategy on freedom of religion or belief, announced in July 2025, and officials regularly press the Taliban to respect the human rights of all Afghans. We work with international partners to maintain collective pressure on the Taliban to reverse their oppressive restrictions, including new criminal court procedures. We continue to support the United Nations Special Rapporteur and his mandate to document human rights abuses in Afghanistan. Human rights and basic freedoms are not only a moral imperative but also essential for building a stable, inclusive and prosperous country for all Afghans. Without inclusive governance that reflects Afghanistan's religious, ethnic, gender and cultural diversity, we will never see an Afghanistan at peace with itself and its neighbours."

The UK is particularly concerned about the situation for women from religious minorities in Afghanistan, given the twin threat of persecution that they face from the Taliban, and we continue to play an active role in raising these issues at the UN Human Rights Council, most recently in June, and in other multilateral fora. The Special Envoy for Freedom of Religion or Belief and the Special Envoy to Afghanistan recently engaged with representatives of religious minority groups across Afghanistan to hear their concerns.