Speaking at the 62nd session of the UN Human Rights Council, Humanists UK urged Mauritania to repeal its blasphemy and apostasy laws, emphasising that they violate the rights to freedom of religion or belief and freedom of expression. Humanists UK also reiterated its particular concern that a death sentence is mandatory for these so-called offences. The state of human rights in Mauritania The intervention followed the Universal Periodic Review (UPR) of Mauritania. UPR is a process where every UN country has its human rights record peer-reviewed by other countries. Each country is reviewed every four and a half years. Other countries can recommend ways it could better meet international human rights standards, and the country under review will state whether or not it accepts them. Mauritania is one of 12 countries that retains the death penalty for blasphemy or apostasy. The other countries are Afghanistan, Brunei, Iran, Malaysia, Maldives, Nigeria, Pakistan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Somalia, and Yemen. Humanists UK expressed disappointment that Mauritania has rejected recommendations to remove the mandatory death penalty that the crimes …