European scholars of religion and human rights experts are urging the South Korean government to release Lee Man-hee, the 95-year-old Chairman of Shincheonji Church, who has been detained since June 24 on charges related to alleged mass voter registration. The scholars argue that detaining an elderly person over non-violent allegations violates international law and undermines South Korea’s democratic reputation.
Chairman Lee was indicted on June 30 on charges including violations of the Political Parties Act. The Joint Police–Prosecution Investigation Headquarters alleges that between July 2021 and January 2024, he directed the mass registration of approximately 50,000 church members into a particular political party. Shincheonji Church has stated that individual members freely participated in political activities and that both Chairman Lee and the church have cooperated fully with the investigation. The church expressed deep regret, noting that detaining a 95-year-old amounts to a form of physical punishment.
The European Academy of Religion (EuARe) held its Ninth Annual Conference in Rome on July 3, where a session titled ‘Shincheonji, a Korean New Religion in Global Context’ addressed the situation. Dr. Massimo Introvigne, a sociologist of religion and Founder of the Center for Studies on New Religions (CESNUR), commented: ‘In all European Union countries, legislation mandates that those older than 80 should only exceptionally be put in jail; they should be under house arrest if needed, and only for violent crimes. Here, of course, there are no blood crimes, and the accusations are violations of electoral law.’ He added that the detention violates the United Nations’ Mandela Rules, which limit preliminary detention for elderly prisoners, calling it ‘an unmitigated scandal, which hides a political and religious vendetta.’
Eric Roux, President of the European Interreligious Forum for Religious Freedom (EIFRF), reiterated the injustice: ‘A man of 95 years old being put in jail is not something that you can reconcile with the objective of respecting human dignity. … I would suggest that this be reviewed very fast to avoid something that would be very detrimental to the reputation of South Korea.’
Human rights lawyer Alessandro Amicarelli, Chairman of the European Federation for Freedom of Belief, expressed concern: ‘As a human rights lawyer, I always considered South Korea a true democracy where human rights are upheld. … What we’re seeing right now looks like South Korea is departing from its own Constitution, its own human rights foundation.’
The international human rights organizations United for Human Rights and Coordination des Associations et des Particuliers pour la Liberté de Conscience (CAP-LC) submitted a joint statement to the 62nd session of the United Nations Human Rights Council on May 25 (Document No. A/HRC/62/NGO/236, circulated June 10). The statement assessed that the situation has intensified and noted that framing members’ political registration as ‘religion–politics collusion’ is inconsistent with the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights. The organizations also highlighted that in December 2025, the President ordered a joint police-prosecutor task force explicitly targeting Shincheonji, and senior officials have publicly referred to the church as a ‘criminal organization,’ statements incompatible with the presumption of innocence.
Shincheonji Church emphasized that the detention has become an international human rights issue, with growing support from prominent figures. The church stated, ‘The prompt release of Chairman Lee is a matter of safeguarding freedom of religion and human rights, which are core values of democracy.’
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