In a press conference held at the Seoul Foreign Correspondents' Club on August 7, international human rights groups voiced alarm over the state of freedom of religion and expression in South Korea. The event, organized by Human Rights Without Frontiers (HRWF) and CAP Liberté de Conscience (CAP LC), alongside FOREF, CESNUR, and Bitter Winter, focused on the treatment of elderly religious leaders in pretrial detention, particularly the case of 95-year-old Shincheonji Chairman Lee Man-hee. The organizations called on South Korean authorities to review his detention and ensure that legal responses to religious minorities remain neutral and proportionate, consistent with the country's international human-rights obligations.
The concerns extend beyond Chairman Lee's case, encompassing the reported harassment of Segero Church in Busan even after Pastor Son Hyun-bo's release, issues of conscientious objection, public hostility toward a mosque project in Daegu, and religious accommodation in education. HRWF has documented the imprisonment of hundreds of Jehovah's Witnesses as conscientious objectors, noting that the alternative civilian service introduced later has been criticized as punitive, requiring 36 months of service in correctional facilities—twice the length of regular military service.
Hans Noot, associate director of HRWF, opened the conference by emphasizing that the issues at stake "lie at the heart of democratic society." He warned that stigmatizing religious communities and restricting peaceful gatherings have consequences that extend beyond any single group. "This conference is not about defending any one theology or movement," he said, "but about defending a 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. He cited South Korea's ratification of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights in 1990 and the Convention against Torture in 1995, arguing that placing a 95-year-old in pretrial detention may violate these obligations. "The presumption of innocence must prevail over any presumption of guilt," he stressed, pointing to alternative measures used in democratic countries, such as Cardinal Joseph Zen's 2022 release on bail in Hong Kong 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 was necessary given sufficient evidence for indictment, and whether that evidence was gathered neutrally rather than through a narrative framing the defendant's community as a "sect" or "cult." He argued that the case raises a broader question for lawmakers: whether measures meant to protect fair elections can be applied without nullifying the constitutionally and internationally guaranteed right to freedom of religion.
Márk Nemes, deputy director of CESNUR, shared findings from recent scholarly investigations in Shincheonji congregations in Europe, Argentina, and Australia, which revealed a worrying increase in hostility toward the peaceful religious movement. He 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. "These are inalienable rights and must be considered during this current process," he said.
Massimo Introvigne, managing director of CESNUR and editor-in-chief of Bitter Winter, asserted that South Korea "has crossed a worrying line" by arresting Chairman Lee. He noted 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 offense. The charges, tied to ordinary political participation by members of a religious minority, "appear legally and conceptually overstretched," he warned, fitting a broader pattern of pressure against minority faiths.
The organizations called on South Korean authorities, the media, and the international community to examine these developments with close attention to due process, proportionality, and equal protection of fundamental rights. At the conclusion of the press conference, the scholars in attendance signed an official letter urging the government of the Republic of Korea to immediately release Chairman Lee from custody.
