A South Korean doomsday cult leader who inflicted violence upon 400 followers that were being held captive in Fiji has been sentenced to six years in jail.
Shin Ok-ju, who founded the Grace Road Church, was found guilty Monday on several criminal charges including child abuse, violence, and fraud after causing her victims "not only physical torture but also severe fear and considerable mental shock," said a sub-court of the Suwon District Court, according to BBC.
Warning of global famine and a doomsday scenario, Shin promised her followers they would be safe in Fiji, where the church had leased land near the capital, Suva.
Many were ordered to give up their savings to relocate to the site, which was described to them as "the only paradise land written in the Bible" where they could avoid "the Great Tribulation," the judge said in the sentencing paper obtained by CNN.
However, upon arrival in 2014, their passports were reportedly taken away and many followers were subjected to violent beatings and abuse.
Shin was arrested in July last year. She was sentenced along with five other church officials.
"The defendant not only committed assault and imprisonment but committed fraud, child abuse and ordering of child neglect," the judge said in the sentencing paper, per CNN. "The victims, on top of the sufferings listed in the indictment, had lost their family or suffered mental trauma. "
One woman, Seoyeon Lee, managed to escape the cult in 2014. Speaking to BBC after the sentencing, she said the court's decision was disappointing.
"The punishment did not fit the crime at all. She should be behind bars for a much longer time," she said. "It's better than nothing I guess. I hope this encourages the Fijian government to take appropriate action and disassociate themselves with the organization."
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