THE HAGUE — Humanist advocate Leo Igwe issued an urgent appeal to the international community this week, calling for a radical expansion in how the world defines and protects the “Freedom of Religion or Belief” (FoRB). Speaking at a high-level meeting in The Hague, Igwe presented a dossier of systemic violence against non-believers, apostates, and those accused of witchcraft across Africa and beyond.
The meeting with the newly appointed Dutch Special Envoy for FoRB, Annelies Faro, served as a platform for Igwe to challenge the current diplomatic focus. While acknowledging the importance of defending religious groups, Igwe argued that the protection of human rights remains dangerously incomplete as long as it excludes atheists, agnostics, and humanists.
“Freedom of religion or belief is incomplete without recognizing the rights of humanists and other non-religious persons,” Igwe told the Envoy.
Citing the harrowing case of Mubarak Bala—a Nigerian humanist whose 2020 arrest and imprisonment for blasphemy drew global outcry—Igwe highlighted how atheists in Nigeria and throughout the region face a “wall of silence.” In many jurisdictions, he explained, expressing disbelief is treated not as an exercise of conscience, but as a criminal act of apostasy, leaving victims vulnerable to imprisonment, exile, and extrajudicial violence.
Igwe further dismantled the narrative surrounding Nigerian unrest, arguing that while Christian communities are undoubtedly suffering, they are not the only victims of jihadist-inspired violence. “Christian genocide is not the whole story,” Igwe stated. “It is also a genocide of unbelievers.” He argued that any individual, regardless of their background, who is perceived as an enemy of extremist interpretations of Islam, is targeted with lethal force.
Beyond religious extremism, Igwe placed a spotlight on the “ferocious” reality of modern-day witch hunts. He detailed a cycle of violence where women, children, the elderly, and persons with disabilities are routinely targeted under the guise of superstitious belief. In regions spanning from Nigeria and Ghana to Zambia and India, victims are frequently beaten, stoned, or burned alive, often with the tacit complicity of state authorities.
Igwe provided specific, chilling examples of impunity, including the case of Adijat Pereira, who was murdered for ritual purposes, and Obiageli Ottih, who remains imprisoned on “witchcraft” charges—a crime that does not exist under the law.
“Police and court officers have been complicit in persecuting the accused and shielding accusers,” Igwe said, urging the Dutch government to pivot its diplomatic weight toward demanding the repeal of blasphemy and witchcraft laws.
As he concluded his statement, Igwe called on the Netherlands to support a decade-long initiative aimed at eradicating witch hunts by 2030, emphasizing that global intervention is the only way to hold state and non-state actors accountable for these ongoing human rights abuses.
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