European scholars and human rights advocates have called on South Korean authorities to release Shincheonji Church of Jesus chairman Lee Man-hee, arguing that the detention of the 95-year-old religious leader raises concerns about religious freedom, due process and the treatment of elderly detainees.
Lee was detained on 24 June and indicted on 30 June over alleged breaches of South Korea’s Political Parties Act. Investigators allege he directed the registration of about 50,000 Shincheonji Church members with a political party between July 2021 and January 2024.
Shincheonji Church has denied the allegations, maintaining that members participated in political activities voluntarily as individual citizens. The church said it cooperated fully with investigators throughout the inquiry, including during search and seizure procedures, and argued that Lee’s detention at his age amounts to physical punishment.
The case was discussed during the Ninth Annual Conference of the European Academy of Religion in Rome on 3 July, where scholars examining Shincheonji Church also addressed the legal proceedings involving Lee.
Dr Massimo Introvigne, Founder and Managing Director of the Center for Studies on New Religions (CESNUR), said Lee’s detention differed from the approach generally taken towards elderly detainees across Europe.
“In all European Union countries, legislation mandates that those older than 80 should only exceptionally be put in jail. If necessary, they should instead be placed under house arrest, and only for violent crimes where there is an actual risk of violence connected with blood crimes. Here, of course, there are no blood crimes, and the accusations concern alleged violations of electoral law.”
He also argued the case conflicted with international standards governing the treatment of prisoners.
“What Korea is doing to this elderly religious leader is in violation of international law, including the United Nations’ so-called Mandela Rules, which provide that preliminary detention should generally not be the rule and should be applied to elderly prisoners only in highly exceptional circumstances. What is happening is an unmitigated scandal, which hides a political and religious vendetta.”
Eric Roux, President of the European Interreligious Forum for Religious Freedom, questioned the decision to imprison someone of Lee’s age.
“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 claim he has done is true, you would not put a man of this age in prison as is the case now.”
He urged South Korean authorities to reconsider the detention.
“I would suggest that this be reviewed very fast to avoid something that would be very detrimental to the reputation of South Korea. Please, get that man out of jail, and do it now.”
Human rights lawyer Alessandro Amicarelli, Chairman of the European Federation for Freedom of Belief, said he had regarded South Korea as a country with a strong record on democratic rights.
“As a human rights lawyer, I always considered South Korea a true democracy where human rights are upheld as a foundation of democracy. Unfortunately, what is happening now is truly shocking.”
Amicarelli said Lee’s continued detention was difficult to justify.
“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 also expressed support for the church’s legal efforts.
“What we’re seeing right now looks like South Korea is departing from its own Constitution and its own human rights foundation. For this reason, I’m very happy to support Shincheonji in its fight against abuse and persecution in South Korea and anywhere in the world.”
Shincheonji Church said the matter had attracted international attention beyond academic discussion. It noted that 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, arguing that developments involving the church should be assessed under international human rights standards.
The statement argued that treating members’ registration with a political party as evidence of “religion-politics collusion” was inconsistent with the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, which guarantees citizens the right to participate in political life. It added:
“In December 2025, the President ordered the creation of a joint police-prosecutor task force explicitly targeting Shincheonji… Senior officials have publicly referred to Shincheonji as a ‘criminal organization,’ statements incompatible with the presumption of innocence.”
The organisations called on the South Korean government to reaffirm its commitment to freedom of religion, non-discrimination and state neutrality.
The allegations against Lee remain before the South Korean courts, and Shincheonji Church continues to deny any wrongdoing.
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