European scholars of religion are making strong appeals to the South Korean government to release Lee Man-hee, the 95-year-old Chairman of Shincheonji Church, who remains in detention. Chairman Lee was detained on 24 June on charges including violations of the Political Parties Act and was indicted on 29 June. The Joint Police–Prosecution Investigation Headquarters alleges that, between July 2021 and January 2024, he directed the mass registration of approximately 50,000 church members into a particular political party.
In response, Shincheonji Church stated that individual members freely participated in political activities and that both Chairman Lee and the church have faithfully cooperated throughout the entire investigation process, including the searches and seizures. The church also expressed deep regret, stating that detaining Chairman Lee, an elderly man aged 95, amounts in effect to a form of physical punishment.
During the Ninth Annual Conference of the European Academy of Religion (EuARe) on 3 July in Rome, Italy, the circumstances surrounding Shincheonji Church were addressed. Dr. Massimo Introvigne, a sociologist of religion and Founder and Managing Director 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 further noted that the detention violates international law, including the United Nations' Mandela Rules, which mandate that preliminary detention should be exceptional and rarely applied to elderly prisoners.
Eric Roux, President of the European Interreligious Forum for Religious Freedom (EIFRF), reiterated the injustice: "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. So I would suggest that this be reviewed very fast to avoid something that would be very detrimental to the reputation of South Korea."
Human rights lawyer Alessandro Amicarelli, Chairman of the European Federation for Freedom of Belief (FOB), expressed concern: "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. … What we're seeing right now … it looks like South Korea is departing from its own Constitution, its own human rights foundation."
Shincheonji Church emphasized that the detention has become an international human rights issue. 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 (UNHRC) on 25 May (Document No. A/HRC/62/NGO/236). The statement assessed that "the situation has intensified" in South Korea and noted that framing members' registration with a political party as evidence of "religion–politics collusion" is inconsistent with the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR).
The organizations further stated: "In December 2025, the President ordered the creation of a joint police–prosecutor task force explicitly targeting Shincheonji... Senior officials have publicly referred to Shincheonji as a 'criminal organization,' statements incompatible with the presumption of innocence." The statement urged the Government of South Korea to reaffirm its commitment to freedom of religion, non-discrimination, and state neutrality.
Shincheonji Church noted that support and petitions from prominent figures in the international community continue to grow, mounting pressure on the South Korean government and judiciary. The church stated, "The prompt release of Chairman Lee is a matter of safeguarding freedom of religion and human rights, which are core values of democracy." For more information, visit Shincheonji Church or SCJ TV Global.
