The detention of Lee Man-hee, the 95-year-old Chairman of Shincheonji Church, has sparked international criticism from European scholars of religion who argue that the action violates international law and undermines South Korea's democratic values. Lee was detained on June 24 on charges including violations of the Political Parties Act and was indicted on June 29. The Joint Police–Prosecution Investigation Headquarters alleges that between July 2021 and January 2024, Lee directed the mass registration of approximately 50,000 church members into a particular political party.
Shincheonji Church has denied these allegations, stating that individual members freely participated in political activities and that both Lee and the church have cooperated fully with the investigation. The church expressed deep regret that detaining an elderly man of 95 years amounts to a form of physical punishment.
The European Academy of Religion (EuARe), a non-profit academic network, held its Ninth Annual Conference in Rome, Italy, on July 3, where the situation of Shincheonji Church was discussed. During a session titled "Shincheonji, a Korean New Religion in Global Context," European scholars presented academic papers on the church and shared the recent developments in South Korea.
Dr. Massimo Introvigne, a sociologist of religion and founder of the Center for Studies on New Religions (CESNUR), criticized the detention, noting that in European Union countries, individuals over 80 are only exceptionally jailed, typically under house arrest, and only for violent crimes. He stated, "Here, of course, there are no blood crimes, and the accusations are violations of electoral law. And 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. So what is happening is an unmitigated scandal, which hides a political and religious vendetta."
Eric Roux, President of the European Interreligious Forum for Religious Freedom (EIFRF), echoed these concerns, stating, "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, which is 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), expressed shock, saying, "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. … We cannot accept that a religious leader in a democratic country, at the age of 95, has to be under this kind of pressure. 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."
The detention has also been raised at the United Nations Human Rights Council. 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 UNHRC on May 25, assessing that "the situation has intensified" in South Korea and noting 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), which guarantees every citizen the right to participate in political life.
The organizations also highlighted that in December 2025, the President ordered the creation of a joint police–prosecutor task force explicitly targeting Shincheonji, and senior officials have publicly referred to the church as a "criminal organization," which they argue is incompatible with the presumption of innocence. They urged the South Korean government to reaffirm its commitment to freedom of religion, non-discrimination, and state neutrality.
Shincheonji Church noted that international support and petitions for Lee's release are growing, increasing pressure on the South Korean government and judiciary. The church emphasized that "The prompt release of Chairman Lee is a matter of safeguarding freedom of religion and human rights, which are core values of democracy."
