Human Rights Without Frontiers (HRWF), alongside CAP Liberté de Conscience, FOREF, CESNUR, and Bitter Winter, held a press conference at the Seoul Foreign Correspondents’ Club on August 7, 2026, to address growing concerns over freedom of religion or belief and freedom of expression in South Korea. The organizations highlighted the pretrial detention of 95-year-old Shincheonji Chairman Lee Man-hee and 83-year-old Mrs. Hak-ja Han Moon of the Family Federation, calling on South Korean authorities to ensure that legal responses to religious minorities remain neutral, proportionate, and consistent with the country’s international human-rights obligations.
The press conference, which was also attended by international scholars and human rights advocates, underscored a broader pattern of religious freedom concerns in South Korea. These include continued harassment of Segero Church in Busan, questions about conscientious objection and the implementation of alternative civilian service, public hostility toward a mosque project in Daegu, and religious accommodation in educational settings. HRWF has documented the imprisonment of hundreds of Jehovah’s Witnesses as conscientious objectors, and while alternative service was introduced, critics argue it is punitive, requiring 36 months of service in correctional facilities—twice the length of regular military service.
Hans Noot, Associate Director of HRWF, opened the conference by stating that the issues at stake “lie at the heart of democratic society.” He warned that when religious communities are stigmatized and peaceful gatherings restricted, the consequences “extend far beyond any single group or case.” Noot emphasized that the conference was about defending the principle that fundamental rights apply equally to all.
Thierry Valle, President of CAP Liberté de Conscience, questioned the legality of Chairman Lee’s detention under international law. He noted South Korea’s ratification of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights in 1990 and the Convention against Torture in 1995, arguing that placing a 95-year-old in pretrial detention is inconsistent with these obligations. He cited precedents such as Cardinal Joseph Zen’s release on bail in Hong Kong in 2022 and Vietnam’s decision to place Buddhist Patriarch Thich Quang Do under house arrest, suggesting more humane and proportionate measures exist.
Michael Langhans, Executive Director of FOREF Germany, presented a legal analysis questioning whether pretrial detention was necessary given that evidence may already be sufficient for indictment. He raised concerns about whether evidence was gathered neutrally or through a narrative framing the defendant’s community as a “sect” or “cult.” Langhans argued that the case raises broader questions for lawmakers about applying measures meant to protect elections without violating constitutionally and internationally guaranteed rights.
Márk Nemes, Deputy Director of CESNUR, discussed the effects of ongoing persecution on minority faiths, noting recent scholarly investigations in Shincheonji congregations in Europe, Argentina, and Australia that found increased hostility toward the movement. He stressed that Shincheonji is a global religious movement, and disproportionate persecution in South Korea affects congregants abroad, whose freedoms are protected under 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. He argued 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 as “legally and conceptually overstretched” and warned of a broader pattern of pressure against minority faiths.
The organizations called on South Korean authorities, the media, and the international community to examine these developments with attention to due process, proportionality, and equal protection of fundamental rights. At the conclusion of the press conference, the scholars signed an official letter calling on the Government of the Republic of Korea to immediately release Chairman Lee from custody.
