International rights groups are calling on South Korea to review the pretrial detention of elderly religious leaders, warning that the country’s approach to religious minorities may be undermining its international human rights obligations. At a press conference held at the Seoul Foreign Correspondents’ Club on August 10, 2026, representatives from Human Rights Without Frontiers (HRWF), CAP Liberté de Conscience, FOREF, CESNUR, and Bitter Winter highlighted concerns over the detention of 95-year-old Shincheonji Chairman Lee Man-hee and 83-year-old Hak-ja Han Moon of the Family Federation.
The groups argued that the detention of such elderly figures raises questions of proportionality, humanitarian considerations, and due process. Thierry Valle, President of CAP Liberté de Conscience, pointed to South Korea’s ratification of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) in 1990 and the Convention against Torture in 1995, questioning whether placing a 95-year-old in pretrial detention is consistent with those obligations. He stressed that the presumption of innocence must prevail, and cited international precedents such as the release on bail of Cardinal Joseph Zen in Hong Kong and the house arrest of Buddhist Patriarch Thich Quang Do in Vietnam as more humane alternatives.
The press conference also addressed broader patterns of religious freedom concerns in South Korea, including the ongoing harassment of Segero Church in Busan, conscientious objection issues, public hostility toward a mosque project in Daegu, and religious accommodation in schools. HRWF has documented the imprisonment of hundreds of Jehovah’s Witnesses as conscientious objectors over the past decades. Although alternative civilian service was introduced, critics argue it is implemented punitively, requiring 36 months of service in correctional facilities—twice the length of regular military service. Recent court decisions have upheld this system against constitutional challenges.
Michael Langhans, Executive Director of FOREF Germany, presented a legal analysis questioning whether pretrial detention for Chairman Lee was necessary given evidence already sufficient for indictment, and whether that evidence was gathered neutrally rather than through a narrative framing the defendant’s community as a ‘sect’ or ‘cult.’ He argued that the case raises broader questions about whether measures meant to protect fair elections can be applied without nullifying the constitutionally and internationally guaranteed right to freedom of religion.
Márk Nemes, Deputy Director of CESNUR, noted that recent scholarly investigations in Shincheonji congregations in Europe, Argentina, and Australia found a worrisome increase in hostility toward the peaceful and cooperative religious movement. He stressed that Shincheonji is a global movement, and the disproportionate persecution in South Korea affects the freedoms of its members abroad, which are enshrined in ICCPR Articles 18 and 19.
Massimo Introvigne, Managing Director of CESNUR and Editor-in-Chief of Bitter Winter, said South Korea ‘has crossed a worrying line’ by arresting Chairman Lee, arguing that international standards such as the Mandela Rules would call for house arrest rather than imprisonment for a 95-year-old accused of a non-violent offence. He described the charges, tied to ordinary political participation by members of a religious minority, as ‘legally and conceptually overstretched,’ and warned that the case fits a broader pattern of pressure against minority faiths.
Hans Noot, Associate Director of HRWF, opened the conference by stating that the issues at stake ‘lie at the heart of democratic society,’ warning that when religious communities are stigmatized and dissent is treated as a problem to be contained, the consequences ‘extend far beyond any single group or case.’ He emphasized that the conference was about defending the principle that fundamental rights apply equally to all.
The organizations called on South Korean authorities, the media, and the international community to examine these developments with close attention to due process, proportionality, and equal protection of fundamental rights. At the conclusion of the press conference, the scholars in attendance signed an official letter calling on the Government of the Republic of Korea to immediately release Chairman Lee from custody.
