SEOUL – A coalition of international human rights organizations held a press conference at the Seoul Foreign Correspondents' Club today to express 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 (CAP LC), FOREF, CESNUR, and Bitter Winter, highlighted the cases of 95-year-old Shincheonji Chairman Lee Man-hee and 83-year-old Hak-ja Han Moon of the Family Federation, both currently in pretrial detention.
The organizations argued that the detention of such elderly individuals raises serious questions about proportionality, humanitarian considerations, and due process. They called on South Korean authorities to review these cases and ensure that the legal and administrative response to religious minorities remains neutral and consistent with the country's international human-rights obligations.
Hans Noot, Associate Director of HRWF, opened the conference by stating that the issues at stake "lie at the heart of democratic society." He warned that when religious communities are stigmatized and peaceful gatherings are restricted, the consequences "extend far beyond any single group or case." Noot emphasized that the conference was about defending the principle that fundamental rights apply equally to all.
Thierry Valle, President of CAP Liberté de Conscience, questioned the legality of Chairman Lee's detention under international law, referencing South Korea's ratification of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights in 1990 and the Convention against Torture in 1995. He stressed that the presumption of innocence must prevail and cited precedents such as Cardinal Joseph Zen's release on bail in Hong Kong in 2022 and Vietnam's decision to place Buddhist Patriarch Thich Quang Do under house arrest.
Michael Langhans, Executive Director of FOREF Germany, presented a legal analysis questioning whether pretrial detention for Chairman Lee was necessary given that evidence might already be sufficient for an indictment. He also raised concerns about whether the evidence was gathered neutrally or through a narrative framing the defendant's community as a "sect" or "cult." Langhans argued that the case raises broader questions about whether measures meant to protect fair elections can be applied without nullifying the right to freedom of religion.
Márk Nemes, Deputy Director of CESNUR, discussed the effects of ongoing persecution on minority faiths. He noted recent scholarly investigations in Shincheonji congregations in Europe, Argentina, and Australia, which found a worrying increase in hostility toward the peaceful religious movement. Nemes stressed that Shincheonji is a global movement, and the disproportionate persecution in South Korea affects congregants abroad, whose freedoms are enshrined in ICCPR Articles 18 and 19.
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 such as the Mandela Rules would call for house arrest rather than imprisonment for a 95-year-old accused of a non-violent offence. Introvigne described the charges, tied to ordinary political participation by members of a religious minority, as "legally and conceptually overstretched."
The organizations called on South Korean authorities, the media, and the international community to examine these developments with attention to due process, proportionality, and equal protection of fundamental rights. At the conclusion of the press conference, the scholars signed an official letter calling on the Government of the Republic of Korea to immediately release Chairman Lee from custody.
