{"id":2492,"date":"2026-07-24T18:47:28","date_gmt":"2026-07-24T18:47:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/thedawnrwanda.com\/?p=2492"},"modified":"2026-07-24T19:14:48","modified_gmt":"2026-07-24T19:14:48","slug":"opinion-a-man-who-served-his-country-is-being-held-in-pre-trial-detention-despite-the-availability-of-legal-alternatives","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/thedawnrwanda.com\/index.php\/2026\/07\/24\/opinion-a-man-who-served-his-country-is-being-held-in-pre-trial-detention-despite-the-availability-of-legal-alternatives\/politics\/international\/","title":{"rendered":"Opinion: A Man Who Served His Country Is Being Held in Pre-Trial Detention Despite the Availability of Legal Alternatives"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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Jean Baptiste UWARUGIRA<\/strong>
Lawyer & Human Rights Activist<\/em>
Rwanda<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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On 24 June 2026, Lee Man-hee, Chairman of the Shincheonji Church of Jesus and founder of Heavenly Culture, World Peace, Restoration of Light (HWPL), was arrested on charges of violating the Political Parties Act, specifically allegations of coercing party membership through undue influence. Since his arrest, he has remained in pre-trial detention.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Article 11 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights provides that: “Everyone charged with a penal offence has the right to be presumed innocent until proved guilty according to law in a public trial at which they have had all the guarantees necessary for their defence.”<\/em> This principle of the presumption of innocence is one of the cornerstones of justice and the rule of law.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Pre-trial detention refers to the practice of holding an accused person in custody while awaiting trial, before any finding of guilt has been made. Courts may order such detention when there are reasonable grounds to believe that the accused may flee, interfere with witnesses or evidence, commit further offences, or fail to appear before the court. While pre-trial detention can be necessary in certain circumstances to protect the integrity of judicial proceedings and public safety, it should remain an exceptional measure. Where less restrictive alternatives are sufficient, they should be preferred.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lee Man-hee is widely known for his commitment to peace initiatives and community service through the Shincheonji Church and HWPL. He is also a registered national veteran who served his country during the Korean War, with a documented history of sacrifice and national service.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Given his age\u201495 years\u2014and his long public record, it is difficult to see him as presenting a significant flight risk or as someone likely to interfere with witnesses or obstruct judicial proceedings. These are among the principal considerations that ordinarily justify pre-trial detention.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Legal scholars and human rights advocates have long recognized the drawbacks of unnecessary pre-trial detention. Most importantly, it may undermine the presumption of innocence by depriving an individual of liberty before any conviction has been secured. If the accused is ultimately acquitted, the consequences of detention cannot be fully undone.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Moreover, prolonged detention can have serious effects on an individual’s physical and mental well-being. Elderly detainees are particularly vulnerable to stress, anxiety, depression, and health complications that may be aggravated by incarceration.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For these reasons, many legal systems encourage the use of alternatives to pre-trial detention, including bail, regular reporting requirements, electronic monitoring, or travel restrictions. These measures can effectively ensure an accused person’s appearance before the court while better safeguarding fundamental rights.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As the European Court of Human Rights has observed:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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“Detention of an individual is such a serious measure that it is only justified where other, less stringent measures have been considered and found to be insufficient to safeguard the individual or the public interest which might require that the person concerned be detained. That means that it does not suffice that the deprivation of liberty is in conformity with national law; it also must be necessary in the circumstances.”<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

As a lawyer and human rights activist from Rwanda, I respectfully call upon the Judiciary of the Republic of Korea to apply these well-established principles when considering this case. As a nation committed to the rule of law, human rights, and the values reflected in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the Republic of Korea has long demonstrated its dedication to justice and international cooperation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In that spirit, I respectfully urge the court to consider the availability of less restrictive alternatives to detention and to allow Lee Man-hee to face the legal proceedings while at liberty, subject to any conditions the court considers appropriate. Such an approach would uphold both the administration of justice and the fundamental rights that form the foundation of every democratic legal system.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Jean Baptiste UWARUGIRALawyer & Human Rights ActivistRwanda On 24 June 2026, Lee Man-hee, Chairman of the Shincheonji Church of Jesus and founder of Heavenly Culture, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2497,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[36,47],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2492","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-international","category-opinion-editorial"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/thedawnrwanda.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2492","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/thedawnrwanda.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/thedawnrwanda.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thedawnrwanda.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thedawnrwanda.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2492"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/thedawnrwanda.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2492\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2507,"href":"https:\/\/thedawnrwanda.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2492\/revisions\/2507"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thedawnrwanda.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2497"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/thedawnrwanda.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2492"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thedawnrwanda.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2492"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thedawnrwanda.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2492"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}