European scholars of religion are urging the South Korean government to release Lee Man-hee, the 95-year-old Chairman of Shincheonji Church, who has been detained since June 24 on charges including violations of the Political Parties Act. The detention has drawn sharp criticism from academics and human rights advocates, who argue it breaches international standards and threatens South Korea's reputation as a democratic nation.
At the Ninth Annual Conference of the European Academy of Religion (EuARe) in Rome on July 3, scholars addressed the case during a session on Shincheonji. Dr. Massimo Introvigne, a sociologist of religion and founder of the Center for Studies on New Religions (CESNUR), stated: "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. Here, there are no blood crimes, and the accusations are violations of electoral law." He added that the detention violates UN Mandela Rules, calling it "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: "A man of 95 years old being put in jail is not something that you can reconcile with respecting human dignity. Even if what you pretend he has done is true, you would not put a man of this age in prison. Please, get that man out of jail and do it now."
Human rights lawyer Alessandro Amicarelli, a solicitor in England and Wales and barrister in Italy, expressed shock: "I always considered South Korea a true democracy where human rights are upheld. 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 warned that South Korea appears to be "departing from its own Constitution and human rights foundation."
The detention follows allegations that Lee directed the mass registration of approximately 50,000 church members into a political party between July 2021 and January 2024. Shincheonji Church maintains that individual members freely participated in political activities and that both Lee and the church have cooperated fully with investigators. The church expressed deep regret, stating that detaining a 95-year-old amounts to physical punishment.
International human rights organizations have also weighed in. United for Human Rights and Coordination des Associations et des Particuliers pour la Liberté de Conscience (CAP-LC) submitted a joint statement to the 62nd session of the UN Human Rights Council on May 25 (Document No. A/HRC/62/NGO/236). The statement assessed that "the situation has intensified" in South Korea and argued that framing members' political registration as "religion–politics collusion" is inconsistent with the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights. It noted that in December 2025, the President ordered a joint police-prosecutor task force explicitly targeting Shincheonji, and senior officials have publicly labeled it a "criminal organization," which undermines the presumption of innocence.
Shincheonji Church emphasized that the detention has become an international human rights issue, with growing support from prominent figures worldwide. The church called for Lee's prompt release, stating it is "a matter of safeguarding freedom of religion and human rights, which are core values of democracy."
For more information, visit the Shincheonji Church website at https://www.shincheonji.org/en or SCJ TV at https://www.scjtvglobal.com.
