SEOUL – A coalition of international human rights organizations held a press conference today at the Seoul Foreign Correspondents' Club to voice concerns over freedom of religion or belief and freedom of expression in South Korea. The groups, including Human Rights Without Frontiers (HRWF), CAP Liberté de Conscience, FOREF, CESNUR, and Bitter Winter, called on South Korean authorities to review the detention of 95-year-old Shincheonji Chairman Lee Man-hee and to ensure that the legal and administrative response to religious minorities remains neutral, proportionate, and consistent with the country's international human-rights obligations.
The conference highlighted the case of Lee Man-hee, who remains in pretrial detention despite his advanced age and non-violent charges. The organizations also expressed concern for 83-year-old Hak-ja Han Moon of the Family Federation. They argued that such detentions raise questions about proportionality and humanitarian considerations under international law.
Hans Noot, Associate Director of HRWF, said the issues at stake "lie at the heart of democratic society," warning that when religious communities are stigmatized and dissent is treated as a problem to be contained, the consequences "extend far beyond any single group or case." He stressed that the conference was about "defending a principle: that fundamental rights apply equally to all."
Thierry Valle, President of CAP Liberté de Conscience, referenced South Korea's ratification of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights in 1990 and the Convention against Torture in 1995, questioning whether placing a 95-year-old in pretrial detention is consistent with those obligations. He emphasized that the presumption of innocence must prevail, and cited precedents like Cardinal Joseph Zen's release on bail in Hong Kong and Vietnam's house arrest for Buddhist Patriarch Thich Quang Do as alternatives that respect dignity.
Michael Langhans, Executive Director of FOREF Germany, presented a legal analysis questioning whether pretrial detention was necessary given evidence already sufficient for indictment, and whether that evidence was gathered neutrally rather than through a narrative framing the defendant's community as a "sect" or "cult." He argued the case raises a broader question: can measures meant to protect fair elections be applied without nullifying the constitutionally and internationally guaranteed right to freedom of religion?
Márk Nemes, Deputy Director of CESNUR, noted recent scholarly investigations in Shincheonji congregations in Europe, Argentina, and Australia, which found a worrisome increase in hostility toward the movement. He stressed that Shincheonji is a global religious movement, and disproportionate persecution in South Korea affects congregants abroad, whose freedoms enshrined in ICCPR Articles 18 and 19 must be considered.
Massimo Introvigne, Managing Director of CESNUR and Editor-in-Chief of Bitter Winter, said South Korea "has crossed a worrying line" by arresting Chairman Lee. He argued that international standards like the Mandela Rules would call for house arrest rather than imprisonment for a 95-year-old accused of a non-violent offence. He said the charges, tied to ordinary political participation by members of a religious minority, "appear legally and conceptually overstretched."
The press conference also addressed broader concerns, including continued harassment of Segero Church in Busan, even after Pastor Son Hyun-bo's release, and issues related to conscientious objection, a mosque project in Daegu, and religious accommodation in educational settings. HRWF has documented the imprisonment of hundreds of Jehovah's Witnesses as conscientious objectors, and critics argue the alternative civilian service is punitive, requiring 36 months in correctional facilities, twice the length of regular military service.
The organizations called on South Korean authorities, the media, and the international community to examine these developments with close attention to due process, proportionality, and equal protection of fundamental rights. At the conclusion, scholars signed an official letter calling for the immediate release of Chairman Lee.
