European scholars of religion and human rights advocates are urging the South Korean government to release 95-year-old Lee Man-hee, Chairman of the Shincheonji Church, who has been detained since June 24 on charges related to alleged mass voter registration. The scholars argue that the detention of a nonagenarian for non-violent offenses violates international law and tarnishes South Korea's democratic image.
Chairman Lee was indicted on June 30 for allegedly directing approximately 50,000 church members to register with a political party between July 2021 and January 2024, in violation of the Political Parties Act. Shincheonji Church has denied the allegations, stating that members participated in political activities voluntarily and that the church has cooperated fully with investigators.
At 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" highlighted the case. Dr. Massimo Introvigne, a sociologist of religion and founder of the Center for Studies on New Religions (CESNUR), stated: "In all European Union countries, legislation mandates that, those older than 80, only exceptionally, should be put in jail; they should be under house arrest if needed, and only for violent crimes, if there is a risk of actual violence connected with blood crimes. Here, of course, there are no blood crimes, and the accusations are violations of electoral law." He added that South Korea's actions violate the United Nations' Mandela Rules, which discourage preliminary detention for elderly prisoners and call it an "unmitigated scandal."
Eric Roux, President of the European Interreligious Forum for Religious Freedom (EIFRF), echoed these concerns: "A man of 95 years old being put in jail is not something that you can reconcile with the objective of respecting human dignity." He warned that the situation could be "very detrimental to the reputation of South Korea."
Human rights lawyer Alessandro Amicarelli, Chairman of the European Federation for Freedom of Belief (FOB), said: "As a human rights lawyer, I always considered South Korea a true democracy where human rights are upheld like a foundation of the democracy. Unfortunately, what's happening now is truly shocking." He noted that "it looks like South Korea is departing from its own Constitution, its own human rights foundation."
The 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 statement to the 62nd session of the United Nations Human Rights Council on May 25, assessing that "the situation has intensified" and arguing that framing the registrations as "religion–politics collusion" is inconsistent with the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR). They also noted that senior officials have publicly referred to Shincheonji as a "criminal organization," which undermines the presumption of innocence.
Shincheonji Church stated that the detention has become an international human rights issue and that pressure on the South Korean government is mounting. The church called for the prompt release of Chairman Lee as a matter of safeguarding freedom of religion and human rights.
