The detention of Lee Man-hee, the 95-year-old Chairman of Shincheonji Church, has drawn sharp criticism from European scholars of religion and human rights advocates, who are calling on South Korean authorities to release him immediately. Lee was detained on 24 June on charges including violations of the Political Parties Act, and indicted on 29 June. 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 maintained 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, stating that detaining an elderly man aged 95 amounts to a form of physical punishment. The case has now escalated beyond a domestic legal matter, drawing attention from international academic and human rights circles.
At the Ninth Annual Conference of the European Academy of Religion (EuARe) held in Rome on 3 July, a session titled "Shincheonji, a Korean New Religion in Global Context" addressed the situation. Dr. Massimo Introvigne, a sociologist of religion and founder of the Center for Studies on New Religions (CESNUR), commented: "In all European Union countries, legislation mandates that those older than 80 should only exceptionally 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 added that the actions violate international law, including the United Nations' "Mandela Rules," which state that preliminary detention should be exceptional, especially for elderly prisoners. He called the situation "an unmitigated scandal" that hides "a political and religious vendetta."
Eric Roux, President of the European Interreligious Forum for Religious Freedom (EIFRF), who also participated, 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." He urged 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, "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." He added that it appears South Korea is departing from its own Constitution and human rights foundation.
The international dimension is further underscored by a joint written statement submitted by United for Human Rights and Coordination des Associations et des Particuliers pour la Liberté de Conscience (CAP-LC) to the 62nd session of the United Nations Human Rights Council 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). It also highlighted that in December 2025, the President ordered the creation of a joint police–prosecutor task force explicitly targeting Shincheonji, and that senior officials have publicly referred to the church as a "criminal organization," which violates the presumption of innocence.
Shincheonji Church noted that international support and petitions continue to grow, 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." The case raises critical questions about the treatment of elderly detainees and the protection of religious freedom in a nation that prides itself on democratic values.
