European scholars of religion and human rights experts are strongly appealing to 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 warn that the detention violates international law and damages South Korea's reputation as a democratic nation.
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 throughout the investigation. The church expressed deep regret, calling the detention of a 95-year-old a form of physical punishment.
During the Ninth Annual Conference of the European Academy of Religion (EuARe) held in Rome on July 3, 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 stipulate that preliminary detention should be exceptional, especially for elderly prisoners.
Eric Roux, President of the European Interreligious Forum for Religious Freedom (EIFRF), stated: "A man of 95 years old being put in jail is not something that you can reconcile with the objective of respecting human dignity. Even if what you pretend he has done is true, you would not put a man of this age in prison. This should be reviewed very fast to avoid something detrimental to the reputation of South Korea."
Human rights lawyer Alessandro Amicarelli, Chairman of the European Federation for Freedom of Belief (FOB), expressed concern: "As a human rights lawyer, I always considered South Korea a true democracy where human rights are upheld. Unfortunately, what's happening now is truly shocking. We cannot accept that a religious leader in a democratic country, at the age of 95, has to be under this kind of pressure." He added that it appears South Korea is departing from its own Constitution and human rights foundation.
The detention has drawn attention from 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 written statement to the 62nd session of the United Nations Human Rights Council on May 25 (Document No. A/HRC/62/NGO/236). The statement noted that the situation has intensified and that framing members' political registration as "religion-politics collusion" is inconsistent with the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR). The organizations urged the South Korean government to reaffirm its commitment to freedom of religion and state neutrality.
Shincheonji Church emphasized that the case 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."
