Forced Organ Harvesting
A Crime Against Humanity
Evidence reveals systematic organ harvesting from living Falun Gong practitioners in China since 1999. This constitutes one of the most serious human rights violations in modern history, with thousands of practitioners disappearing from detention centers.
The Evidence
Multiple independent investigations have documented evidence of systematic organ harvesting from living Falun Gong practitioners in China. This practice violates fundamental human rights and constitutes crimes against humanity under international law.
Key Findings
- Mass Disappearances: Since 1999, thousands of Falun Gong practitioners have disappeared from detention centers, labor camps, and "reeducation" facilities across China, with no official explanation or records of their whereabouts.
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🔬 Medical Evidence:Blood tests and medical records from transplant recipients show that organs were harvested from living donors, not from executed prisoners as claimed by Chinese authorities.The timing and quality of organs indicate they came from healthy, living individuals.Laboratory Confirmed Forensic Analysis
- Witness Testimonies: Former medical staff, prison guards, and survivors have provided detailed accounts of the harvesting process, including how practitioners were kept alive during organ removal to ensure organ quality.
- Statistical Analysis: The number of organ transplants performed in China far exceeds the number of legal organ donations, indicating massive illegal organ sources. Between 2000-2015, China performed over 100,000 transplants annually while claiming only a few thousand legal donations.
- International Investigations: Multiple independent investigations by human rights organizations, including the China Tribunal and the International Coalition to End Transplant Abuse in China (ETAC), have documented these crimes.
Flow Chart: Organisations & State Departments Involved in the Alleged Forced Organ Harvesting System
1. Targeting & Detention of Prisoners of Conscience
Suspected victims: practitioners of Falun Gong, Uyghurs, Tibetans, other religious/ethnic minorities.
Organisations/departments involved:
- 610 Office (extra-legal security apparatus established to oversee suppression of Falun Gong)
- Ministry of Public Security of the People's Republic of China (MPS) — the national police force, responsible for detention and security; the organ-transplant reform literature mentions this ministry among the key departments.
- People's Liberation Army (PLA) medical units/hospitals sometimes appear in allegations involving transplants.
2. Medical Examinations, Organ Matching & Data Collection
After detention, victims allegedly undergo blood tests, ultrasounds, organ-typing scans, sometimes without informed consent.
Departments involved:
- National Health Commission of the People's Republic of China (or its predecessor the National Health and Family Planning Commission) — oversees health policy and organ donation/transplant regulation.
- China Organ Transplantation Development Foundation — a foundation touted for reform but criticised for lack of transparency.
3. Scheduling & Coordination of Transplants
Hospitals allegedly receive "on-demand" organs, very short waiting times reported.
Departments/hospitals involved:
- Hospital transplant units (civil and military hospitals) — including PLA hospitals.
- Ministry of Transport of the People's Republic of China, Civil Aviation Administration of China, China Railway Corporation — These logistics departments were cited in regulatory documents as forming part of the "green channel" for moving organs.
4. Organ Removal & Transplantation
Removal alleged to occur while the donor is alive or shortly before death. (Independent tribunal concluded this "beyond reasonable doubt").
Transplantation carried out in hospitals (civil and military).
Departments:
- Military-affiliated hospitals (PLA) — implicated in reports.
- Civil transplant hospitals.
- The State's judicial/execution system: Since executed prisoners were previously legal sources, the Supreme People's Court of the People's Republic of China and procuratorates (public prosecutors) are implicated in the broader process (though not always explicitly in every report).
5. Cover-Up, Disposal & Data Falsification
After transplantation, bodies cremated; records destroyed or falsified, according to allegations.
Departments/organisations involved:
- MPS + local public security bureaux (handling detention, movement of bodies).
- Local hospital administrations and health commissions.
- Penal system (prison authorities) and labour camp authorities.
6. Profit & Infrastructure Support
Organ transplantation became a revenue source; transplants advertised to foreign patients (transplant tourism).
Departments/organisations:
- Ministry of Health/National Health Commission — for regulation of transplant industry.
- Provincial health commissions (local level).
- Private transplant brokers, travel agencies (international transplant tourism).
- Legislative/oversight bodies internationally (e.g., Congressional-Executive Commission on China (CECC) in the US) scrutinising the system.
7. Regulatory Response & Reform (Domestic) vs. International Pressure
In 2007, the Chinese central government's State Council of the People's Republic of China issued the "Regulations on Human Organ Transplantation".
In 2015, China announced that organs from executed prisoners would no longer be used (though critics say transparency remains lacking).
International organisations pressing for accountability: United Nations Human Rights Council special procedures, European Parliament, etc.
Departments/organisations:
- WHO (World Health Organization) global guidelines.
- National regulatory bodies in China (Health/National Health Commission).
- Chinese courts/criminal law amendment to criminalise organ trafficking (Supreme People's Court).
International Response
The international community has condemned these practices, with multiple countries implementing laws to prevent their citizens from receiving organs from China. However, more action is needed to hold perpetrators accountable.
🚨 Crimes Against Humanity
Live organ harvesting from Falun Gong practitioners constitutes crimes against humanity under international law, including the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court. The systematic nature of these crimes and the targeting of a specific group based on their beliefs meets the legal definition of persecution.
Timeline of Evidence
Persecution Begins
CCP launches nationwide campaign against Falun Gong, leading to mass arrests and detentions.
First Reports Emerge
Initial reports of organ harvesting from Falun Gong practitioners begin to surface.
China Tribunal Findings
Independent tribunal concludes that live organ harvesting from Falun Gong practitioners is ongoing.
Ongoing Crimes
Evidence continues to emerge of systematic organ harvesting, with no end in sight.
What You Can Do
There are several ways you can help end this horrific practice:
- Sign petitions calling for international investigation and action
- Contact your government representatives to demand stronger measures
- Support organizations working to document and expose these crimes
- Raise awareness in your community about this issue
- Boycott medical tourism to China for organ transplants
Witness Testimonies
"I witnessed the systematic harvesting of organs from living Falun Gong practitioners. The medical staff were ordered to keep them alive during the process to ensure organ quality. This was not isolated - it was a systematic operation."- Former Medical Staff Member, 2019
"The scale of this operation is unprecedented. We're talking about industrial-scale human rights violations that continue to this day. The international community must take stronger action."- Human Rights Investigator, China Tribunal
"My family member disappeared from a detention center in 2003. We never heard from them again. Later, we learned they were likely killed for their organs."- Family Member of Victim
References & Further Reading
Extensive evidence reveals that the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) has engaged in live organ harvesting—especially targeting prisoners of conscience such as Falun Gong practitioners, Uyghurs, and other minority or dissident groups. Multiple reports, survivor testimonies, international investigations, and legislative hearings have documented these systematic human rights violations.
👤 Survivor Testimonies & Documentation
🏛️ Congressional & Legislative Documents
- Rep. Chris Smith Floor Statement: Stop Forced Organ Harvesting Act of 2025 (May 2025, PDF)
- Rep. Chris Smith: Organ Harvesting Hearing Opening Remarks (May 2022, PDF)
- U.S. Congressional Hearing: Organ Harvesting of Religious and Political Dissidents by the Chinese Communist Party (114th Congress)
- U.S. Congress: Hearing on Organ Harvesting in China (112th Congress)
- Congressman Dunn: Blocking Illegal Chinese Organ Harvesting (March 2025)
🌍 International & Human Rights Reports
- Human Rights Research Organization: Forced Organ Harvesting - CCP Targeting of Minorities and Dissidents
- European Parliament: Parliamentary Question on Organ Harvesting in China (2020)
- Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada: Information on Falun Gong persecution and organ harvesting
- Commission on Foreign Interference: Evidence on transnational repression and persecution (PDF, French)
- World Without Genocide: Transnational Repression - A Global Problem
📚 Research & Analysis
- McCain Institute: Uncovering Evil - Illegal Organ Harvesting in China and the 2025 Stop Forced Organ Harvesting Act
- Science Direct: Academic research on forced organ harvesting and transplant abuse
- Bioethics Today: Analysis of China's Regulations and Forced Organ Harvesting
- Hudson Institute: Analysis of State Department Reporting on Organ Harvesting
📰 Media Coverage & Advocacy
Key Findings: International investigations and legislative hearings have found significant discrepancies between the number of reported voluntary donors and the much higher number of transplants performed, indicating forced organ harvesting on a large scale. The CCP initially relied on organs from executed prisoners and later expanded its targets to religious minorities, including Falun Gong, after 1999 when the group's social influence was seen as a threat to state control. Despite official denials and cosmetic reforms, human rights organizations affirm that clandestine organ harvesting continues.
Note: Both forced organ harvesting and transnational repression remain closely intertwined in the CCP's domestic and international strategy to suppress dissent and maintain influence, with Falun Gong practitioners among the groups most severely affected.
Take Action Now
Join the global effort to end live organ harvesting and bring perpetrators to justice.