Sign up for the Humanists International NewsletterThis week's guest is Dr. Lucy Potter, postdoctoral fellow in the Department of Sociological Studies at the University of York. Her landmark three-year study — Freedom of Religion or Belief for All: Recognising and Protecting the Non-Religious in the Asylum System — reveals how the UK's asylum system routinely misunderstands and fails people fleeing persecution for leaving their religion. Lucy shares her key findings, her policy recommendations to the Home Office, and how she has been taking this research to Parliament and the UN.In this episode we coverThe UN Committee on NGOs — why the newly elected slate of states is alarming for civil societyThe crisis in the Middle East and the erosion of the rules-based international orderWhat drew Dr. Lucy Potter to research non-religious asylum claimsWhy the asylum system struggles to assess non-religious identity claimsKey recommendations — updated Home Office policy, staff training, and adjusting the burden of proofReferencesDr. Lucy Potter's report — Freedom of Religion or Belief for All: Recognising and Protecting the Non-Religious in the Asylum System: https://humanists.uk/wp-content/uploads/Freedom-of-Religion-or-Belief-for-All-report.pdfHumanists UK — work on asylum and FoRB training: https://humanists.uk/campaigns/asylum/UK All-Party Parliamentary Humanist Group: https://humanists.uk/campaigns/parliament/all-party-parliamentary-humanist-group/UN Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Religion or Belief: https://www.ohchr.org/en/special-procedures/sr-religion-or-beliefUN Committee on NGOs: https://csonet.orgFreedom of Thought Report: https://fot.humanists.internationalFollow Humanist InternationalSign up for our free NewsletterSupport Humanists InternationalFollow our CampaignsAbout - Humanists International Join us at the World Humanists Congress 2026This podcast is produced by Humanise Live.Start your podcast today, visit: humanise.live🎶Music: Horizon by Simon FolwarPodcast transcripts are AI-generated and may contain errors or omissions. They are provided to make our content more accessible, but should not be considered a fully accurate record of the conversation.