Human Rights Without Frontiers (HRWF), alongside CAP Liberté de Conscience (CAP LC), FOREF, CESNUR, and Bitter Winter, convened a press conference at the Seoul Foreign Correspondents' Club on August 14, 2026, to address pressing concerns regarding freedom of religion or belief and freedom of expression in South Korea. The event highlighted the case of 95-year-old Shincheonji Chairman Lee Man-hee, who remains in pretrial detention, and raised questions about the proportionality and humanitarian considerations of such measures.
The organizations urged South Korean authorities to review Chairman Lee's detention and to ensure that legal and administrative responses to religious minorities remain neutral, proportionate, and consistent with the country's international human-rights obligations. They also drew attention to the case of 83-year-old Hak-ja Han Moon of the Family Federation, as well as ongoing concerns about the Segero Church in Busan, which has reportedly continued to face harassment and official scrutiny even after Pastor Son Hyun-bo's release.
Hans Noot, Associate Director of HRWF, opened the conference by stating that the issues at stake "lie at the heart of democratic society," warning that when religious communities are stigmatized, peaceful gatherings restricted, and dissent treated as a problem to be contained, the consequences "extend far beyond any single group or case." He emphasized that the conference was not about defending any particular theology but about defending the principle that fundamental rights apply equally to all.
Thierry Valle, President of CAP Liberté de Conscience, questioned whether detaining a 95-year-old under pretrial detention aligns with South Korea's obligations under the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and the Convention against Torture, which the country ratified in 1990 and 1995 respectively. He stressed that the presumption of innocence must prevail over any presumption of guilt, citing precedents such as Cardinal Joseph Zen's 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, provided a legal analysis questioning whether pretrial detention was necessary given that evidence was already sufficient for an 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 broader questions about 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, highlighted the global impact of the persecution, noting recent scholarly investigations in Shincheonji congregations in Europe, Argentina, and Australia that found a worrying increase in hostility toward the peaceful movement. He stressed that Shincheonji is a global religious movement, and the disproportionate persecution in South Korea affects the freedoms of its congregants worldwide, as 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, arguing 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. He 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 close 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.
