European scholars of religion and human rights experts are calling on 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 detention, they argue, violates international law and tarnishes South Korea's reputation as a democratic state.
Chairman Lee was indicted on June 29 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 maintains that members acted freely and that the church has cooperated fully with investigators. The church expressed deep regret, stating that detaining a 95-year-old amounts to physical punishment.
At the Ninth Annual Conference of the European Academy of Religion (EuARe) in Rome on July 3, scholars addressed the case during 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), noted that in European Union countries, those over 80 are only exceptionally jailed, and only for violent crimes. "Here, of course, there are no blood crimes, and the accusations are violations of electoral law," he said. He added that the detention violates the United Nations' Mandela Rules, which restrict preliminary detention for elderly prisoners. "What is happening is an unmitigated scandal, which hides a political and religious vendetta," Dr. Introvigne stated.
Eric Roux, President of the European Interreligious Forum for Religious Freedom (EIFRF), called the detention incompatible with human dignity. "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 said, urging a swift review to avoid damage to South Korea's reputation.
Human rights lawyer Alessandro Amicarelli, Chairman of the European Federation for Freedom of Belief (FOB), expressed shock, saying South Korea has long been seen as a true democracy where human rights are foundational. "Unfortunately, what's happening now is truly shocking," he said. "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 warned that South Korea appears to be departing from its own Constitution and human rights foundations.
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 written statement to the 62nd session of the United Nations Human Rights Council on May 25, document number A/HRC/62/NGO/236. The statement assessed that the situation has intensified in South Korea and noted that framing members' political registration as "religion–politics collusion" is inconsistent with the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, which guarantees every citizen the right to participate in political life. The organizations also highlighted that in December 2025, the President ordered a joint police-prosecutor task force explicitly targeting Shincheonji, and senior officials have publicly referred to the church as a "criminal organization," statements incompatible with the presumption of innocence.
Shincheonji Church emphasized that the detention has become an international human rights issue, with growing support from prominent figures worldwide urging the South Korean government to release Chairman Lee. "The prompt release of Chairman Lee is a matter of safeguarding freedom of religion and human rights, which are core values of democracy," the church stated.
