CCPR/C/131/D/3069/2017 also notes that although general discrimination against the Hazara is still prevalent in Afghanistan, the latest documented information does not establish ethnicity or religion as a major ground of discrimination against them.20 The State party indicates that the report of the Swedish Migration Board in December 2017 does not support the conclusion that the mere claim of renunciation of Islam is enough to conclude that there is a real risk of persecution of an individual that would warrant international protection, while it also notes that according to the report, in Afghanistan apostates risk being disowned by their family and killed by others in society without judicial process, that mere accusations of apostasy can provoke violence and that people who lack a social network are particularly vulnerable. The State party also notes that it is possible for apostates to repent and return to the Muslim faith. Thus, a general situation does not in itself suffice to establish that the author’s expulsion would contravene articles 6 or 7 of the Covenant. The assessment before the Committee must therefore focus on the foreseeable consequences to the author of his expulsion to Afghanistan in the light of his personal circumstances. In this connection, the State party emphasizes that asylum seekers have the burden of proof to plausibly demonstrate that they belong to a group that is at risk of persecution. 4.7 The State party contends that due process was upheld in assessing the author’s application for asylum. The Migration Board conducted several interviews with the author in the presence of public counsel and interpreters, who the author confirmed understood his language well. The author therefore had several opportunities to explain the relevant facts and circumstances in support of his claims and to argue his case, orally and in writing, before the Migration Board and in writing before the Migration Court. Thus, the Migration Board and the Migration Court have thoroughly examined all the facts of the author’s case, considered whether his claims are coherent and detailed and whether they contradict generally known facts or available information on the country of origin. 4.8 Against this backdrop, the State party holds that it must be considered that the Migration Board and the Migration Court had sufficient information, together with the facts and evidence with regard to the present case, to ensure that they had a solid basis to make a well-informed, transparent and reasonable risk assessment concerning the author’s need for protection in Sweden. In view of the fact that the Migration Board and the Migration Court are specialized bodies, with particular expertise in the field of asylum law and practice, the State party contends that there is no reason to conclude that the national rulings were inadequate or that the outcome of the domestic proceedings was in any way arbitrary or amounted to a denial of justice. Accordingly, the State party holds that considerable weight must be attached to the conclusions of the Swedish migration authorities. 4.9 Concerning the claims that the author would be at risk of persecution upon his return to Afghanistan, given that he has converted away from Islam, the State party concedes that Christians and Christian converts in Afghanistan run a real risk of being subject to persecution, warranting international protection. However, the question is whether the author’s alleged Christian faith is based on genuine personal religious conviction. The State party contests that the author’s conversion was based on genuine faith as it was submitted at a very late stage of the asylum proceedings, after the expulsion order had gained legal force and when the author was detained by the enforcing police authority. Furthermore, the author did not provide a reasonable explanation as to why he did not mention that his religious beliefs had changed during the proceedings of his first application for re-examination of his case. The State party also argues that the author’s account of his thoughts and reflections about his faith has been deemed by the national instances to be general descriptions and comparisons of Islam and Christianity. The State party therefore considers that the motives behind the conversion raise doubts and are questionable. The State party notes that the judgment of the district court of Ångermanland does not contain any information linked to the author’s religious beliefs. The State party is of the view that the author has not plausibly demonstrated that he has converted from Islam to Christianity out of genuine religious conviction; nor can it be assumed that there is a threat against him because of his father’s or 20 6 the protection of civilians in armed conflict: 1 January to 30 June 2018” (15 July 2018) and A/72/888–S/2018/539. See A/HRC/31/46. See also European Asylum Support Office, EASO Country of Origin Information Report. Afghanistan Individuals Targeted by Armed Actors in the Conflict (December 2017).