A European rights group has called on South Korean authorities to consider alternatives to the pre-trial detention of 95-year-old Lee Man-hee, founder of the Shincheonji Church of Jesus, citing concerns over his age and conditions at the Seoul Detention Centre.
CAP Liberté de Conscience, a non-governmental organisation with consultative status at the United Nations, raised the issue in an oral statement during the 63rd session of the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva.
Lee is being held pending trial over charges that the organisation said do not involve violence.
CAP Liberté de Conscience said it was concerned that Lee remained in detention despite having a permanent residence and, in its assessment, posing no flight risk.
The organisation also said Lee had been held in cells without air conditioning during a period of extreme heat in Seoul.
“This raises serious concerns about the health and wellbeing of a 95-year-old man,” the organisation said in its statement.
CAP Liberté de Conscience said the detention should be examined against South Korea's obligations under international human rights law.
It cited Article 9 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, which protects against arbitrary detention, and Article 10, which requires people deprived of their liberty to be treated humanely.
“Pre-trial detention should be a measure of last resort,” the organisation said, referring to international standards governing detention.
The group also cited the Nelson Mandela Rules on the treatment of prisoners and access to healthcare, as well as the Tokyo Rules, which promote alternatives to detention.
CAP Liberté de Conscience further raised concerns over freedom of religion or belief, citing Article 18 of the ICCPR.
The organisation said it believed the case warranted scrutiny because of what it described as “politically motivated” investigations targeting a religious minority.
It called on South Korean authorities to consider alternatives to detention, allow an independent medical assessment of Lee and ensure that his trial is conducted fairly and impartially.
The organisation's statement represents its assessment of Lee's case. The press material did not include a response from South Korean authorities or provide detailed information on the charges against him.
CAP Liberté de Conscience was established in 1995 and describes itself as a non-denominational European organisation working to promote freedom of religion and belief and document alleged discrimination affecting religious and belief communities.