A European rights organisation has urged the United Nations Human Rights Council to act over the pretrial detention of Man-hee Lee, a popular 95-year-old Korean religious leader. The group wants the council to call on South Korea to offer him alternatives to detention.
CAP Liberté de Conscience, also known as CAP Freedom of Conscience, made the call in an oral statement on 18 September 2026. It spoke during the general debate under Item 3 of the council’s 63rd session at the Palais des Nations in Geneva, Switzerland.
The Paris-based organisation holds consultative status with the UN Economic and Social Council.
According to CAP Freedom of Conscience, Lee is a veteran of the Korean War. It said he is being held at the Seoul Detention Center on non-violent charges.
The organisation told the council it was seriously concerned about what it called a politically driven and discriminatory investigation targeting a religious minority. It also raised concern over the conditions under which the elderly religious leader is being held.
CAP Freedom of Conscience said Lee has a fixed residence and poses no flight risk. It said he was nonetheless kept in cells without air conditioning during Seoul’s most severe heatwave, which it said put the health of a man of his age at serious risk.
The organisation argued that Lee’s treatment goes against South Korea’s obligations under international law.
It cited Article 9 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, which requires that detention be necessary and proportionate. It also cited Article 10 of the covenant, which guarantees humane treatment for anyone deprived of their liberty.
The group also referred to the UN Standard Minimum Rules for the Treatment of Prisoners, commonly known as the Nelson Mandela Rules. These entitle detainees to the same standard of healthcare available in the wider community.
It also pointed to the Tokyo Rules, which treat pretrial detention as a measure of last resort.
CAP Freedom of Conscience said Lee’s right to freedom of religion or belief, which is protected under Article 18 of the covenant, had been disregarded.
The organisation called on the council to urge South Korea to honour its treaty obligations. It asked that Seoul offer Lee alternatives to detention, allow an independent medical assessment of his health and guarantee him a fair and impartial trial.
CAP Freedom of Conscience was founded in 1995. It describes itself as a secular organisation that documents discrimination against religious and belief communities and brings those cases before European and international bodies.
The organisation is a member of the European Federation for Freedom of Belief and the European Network of Religion and Belief. It also takes part in the Civil Society Platform of Fundamental Rights set up by the European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights.
