European scholars of religion and human rights advocates are calling on the South Korean government to release Lee Man-hee, the 95-year-old Chairman of Shincheonji Church of Jesus, who has been detained since June 24 on charges including violations of the Political Parties Act. The scholars argue that the detention of an elderly person for non-violent allegations contravenes international standards and damages Korea's reputation as a democracy.
The European Academy of Religion (EuARe) addressed the situation during its Ninth Annual Conference in Rome on July 3, in a session titled "Shincheonji, a Korean New Religion in Global Context." Dr. Massimo Introvigne, a sociologist of religion and founder of the Center for Studies on New Religions (CESNUR), stated that EU legislation mandates that individuals over 80 should only be jailed exceptionally, for violent crimes. He noted that the accusations against Lee involve electoral law violations, not blood crimes, and called the detention a violation of the United Nations' Mandela Rules, which discourage preliminary detention for elderly prisoners. Eric Roux, president of the European Interreligious Forum for Religious Freedom (EIFRF), emphasized that jailing a 95-year-old is incompatible with human dignity and urged a swift review to avoid damaging South Korea's reputation.
Human rights lawyer Alessandro Amicarelli, chairman of the European Federation for Freedom of Belief (FOB), expressed shock, stating that South Korea has departed from its constitutional human rights foundations. He described the pressure on the elderly religious leader as unacceptable in a democratic country. Shincheonji Church maintains that individual members freely participated in political activities and that Chairman Lee and the church cooperated fully with the investigation. The church views the detention as a form of physical punishment due to his age.
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, assessing that the situation has intensified in South Korea. They argued that framing political party registration as "religion–politics collusion" is inconsistent with the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), which guarantees the right to participate in political life. The statement also criticized the creation of a joint police-prosecutor task force targeting Shincheonji and public references to the church as a "criminal organization," which violate the presumption of innocence.
Shincheonji Church noted growing international support for Chairman Lee's release, including petitions from prominent figures, and stated that his prompt release is essential to safeguarding freedom of religion and human rights, core values of democracy.
