Human Rights Without Frontiers (HRWF), alongside CAP Liberté de Conscience (CAP LC), FOREF, CESNUR, and Bitter Winter, convened a press conference on August 7 at the Seoul Foreign Correspondents' Club to address growing concerns over freedom of religion or belief and freedom of expression in South Korea. The organizations highlighted issues of proportionality, humanitarian considerations, and due process in the pretrial detention of elderly religious leaders, specifically calling for a review of the detention of 95-year-old Shincheonji Chairman Lee Man-hee and 83-year-old Hak-ja Han Moon of the Family Federation.
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 when religious communities are stigmatized, peaceful gatherings are restricted, and dissent is treated as a problem to be contained, the consequences "extend far beyond any single group or case." The conference was not about defending any one theology, 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, 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 over any presumption of guilt, and that there are alternative, more proportionate measures respecting human dignity, citing precedents such as Cardinal Joseph Zen's 2022 release on bail in Hong Kong and Vietnam's house arrest of Buddhist Patriarch Thich Quang Do.
Michael Langhans, executive director of FOREF Germany, presented a legal analysis questioning whether pretrial detention for Chairman Lee was necessary given evidence 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 for lawmakers about whether measures meant to protect fair elections can be applied without nullifying constitutionally and internationally guaranteed rights to freedom of religion.
Márk Nemes, deputy director of CESNUR, shared findings from three recent scholarly investigations in Shincheonji congregations in Europe, Argentina, and Australia, each finding a worrisome increase in hostility toward the peaceful and cooperative religious movement. He stressed that Shincheonji is a global movement, and 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, 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 offense. He described the charges, tied to ordinary political participation by members of a religious minority, as "legally and conceptually overstretched," and warned of 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, the scholars signed an official letter urging the government of the Republic of Korea to immediately release Chairman Lee from custody.
