Rome, Italy — European scholars of religion and human rights advocates have called on the South Korean government to release Lee Man-hee, the 95-year-old Chairman of the Shincheonji Church of Jesus, arguing that his continued detention raises concerns about human rights, international law and the treatment of elderly detainees.
The calls were made during the Ninth Annual Conference of the European Academy of Religion (EuARe) in Rome, where academics discussed the global development of Shincheonji Church and recent legal developments involving its founder.
Lee was detained on June 24 and indicted on June 30 on allegations of violating South Korea’s Political Parties Act. Prosecutors allege that between July 2021 and January 2024, he directed the mass registration of about 50,000 church members into a political party.
Shincheonji Church has denied the allegations, stating that participation in political activities was an individual decision by members and that both the church and its chairman cooperated fully throughout the investigation. The church also described the detention of the elderly religious leader as excessive given his age.
Addressing delegates at the conference, Dr. Massimo Introvigne, Founder and Managing Director of the Center for Studies on New Religions (CESNUR), argued that the detention of Lee conflicts with international standards governing elderly detainees.
“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.”
Introvigne further cited the United Nations Standard Minimum Rules for the Treatment of Prisoners (Mandela Rules).
“What Korea is doing to this elderly religious leader is in violation of international law, including the United Nations’ so-called Mandela Rules, which mandate that preliminary detention should be, in general, not the rule, and only in an extremely limited number of exceptional cases may be applied to elderly prisoners.”
Appeal to South Korean Authorities
Also speaking at the conference, Eric Roux, President of the European Interreligious Forum for Religious Freedom (EIFRF), urged South Korean authorities to reconsider Lee’s detention.
“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 pretend he has done is true, you would not put a man of this age in prison as is the case now.”
He added: “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 (FOB), said the developments had surprised many observers familiar with South Korea’s democratic institutions.
“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’s happening now is truly shocking. 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 further stated: “What we’re seeing right now… it looks like South Korea is departing from its own Constitution, its own human rights foundation. For this reason, I’m very happy to support Shincheonji in your fight against abuse and persecution in South Korea and anywhere in the world.”
Church Says Case Has Become an International Human Rights Issue
Shincheonji Church said the detention of its chairman has drawn increasing international attention.
The church cited a joint written submission by United for Human Rights and the Coordination of Associations and Individuals for Freedom of Conscience (CAP-LC) to the 62nd Session of the United Nations Human Rights Council, which called on South Korea to reaffirm its commitment to freedom of religion, non-discrimination and state neutrality.
“As support and petitions from prominent figures in the international community continue to grow regarding the detention of Chairman Lee Man-hee, pressure on the South Korean government and the judiciary is also mounting.”
It added: “The prompt release of Chairman Lee is a matter of safeguarding freedom of religion and human rights, which are core values of democracy.”
The case remains before the South Korean court.
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