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| Speaking in Nairobi, the faith leaders said they had endorsed a petition to the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention (WGAD) and the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), urging the bodies to seek a humanitarian review of Chairman ManHee Lee's detention. |
Kenyan religious leaders and scholars have appealed to the United Nations to review the detention of 95-year-old Shincheonji Church of Jesus Chairman ManHee Lee, citing humanitarian concerns, religious freedom and due process.
Speaking in Nairobi, the scholars said they had endorsed a petition to the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention and the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, calling for a humanitarian review of Chairman Lee’s detention.
They stressed that the appeal does not challenge South Korea’s judicial sovereignty, but seeks fairness, proportionality, non-discrimination and respect for fundamental human rights.
The group said Chairman Lee, who founded Shincheonji and the peace organisation HWPL, was detained on 24th June 2026, and indicted on what they described as non-violent political charges. They said his age and reported health concerns warrant humanitarian consideration.
Rev. Dr. Joseph Maryale said the campaign seeks to uphold international human rights standards and the rule of law, while Rev. Dr. Jechoniah Wambua Musembi stressed the right to freedom of conscience, belief and association.
Imam Abdul Haneen of Dawaah Center Adams Mosque said the appeal does not challenge South Korea’s judicial sovereignty, but calls for fair, impartial and humane proceedings.
The scholars also urged that public criticism of Shincheonji should not influence judicial proceedings, stressing that all religious communities deserve equal protection under the law.
They expressed hope that South Korea’s legal process would uphold the principles of justice, religious freedom and human rights.
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