Rights groups have urged the EU to safeguard its citizens and institutions from being involved in forced organ harvesting practices in communist China.
As Chinese Communist Party (CCP) leader Xi Jinping embarked on his first European trip in five years, activists and rights groups drew attention to the systemic forced organ harvesting by the Chinese regime.
A coalition of more than a dozen rights advocacy groups penned a
letter to Josep Borrell, the EU’s top diplomat, calling for measures to prevent European citizens and institutions from contributing to forced organ harvesting.
The activists urged European leaders to enact legislation mandating health professionals to report on organ transplantations outside the EU, with transparent details on transplant tourism volumes in visited countries.
In China, the wait time for vital organ transplants can be as brief as a few weeks, a stark contrast to countries with voluntary donation systems. This short waiting period has attracted individuals from around the world to seek life-saving operations in China.
A people’s tribunal in London
concluded in 2019 that the Chinese regime was systematically harvesting organs from prisoners of conscience to meet the demand for transplants. The main targets, as per the tribunal, were practitioners of Falun Gong, a spiritual practice persecuted by the CCP since 1999.
The activists cautioned that Europe could be aiding forced organ harvesting by collaborating with medical institutions and professionals in the Chinese organ transplant sector.
The letter, initially disclosed on May 6, coincided with Xi’s European tour, commencing in France where he engaged in talks with President Emmanuel Macron and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen at the Elysee Palace in Paris on May 7.
CCP ‘Very Afraid’ of International Attention
Rights groups and activists in Paris rallied, urging French and European leaders to address the CCP’s human rights violations against ethnic minorities, religious followers, and journalists.
Among the activists was Ding Lebin, a Chinese advocate who appealed to President Macron to raise awareness about the persecution of
his father, imprisoned for practicing Falun Gong.
Originating as a traditional spiritual discipline promoting meditation and moral teachings, Falun Gong gained widespread popularity in the 1990s, with millions of adherents in China. This led to the CCP launching a severe crackdown on the practice in 1999.
Mr. Lebin highlighted a
resolution by the European Parliament condemning the CCP’s persecution of Falun Gong members and demanding their release and an end to the oppression.
Over the past 25 years, countless Falun Gong practitioners in China have endured forced labor, brainwashing, torture, and even death for refusing to renounce their beliefs.
Speaking at a press conference, Mr. Lebin praised the European resolution for providing protection for his parents in China, as the CCP fears international attention. He also expressed concerns about the regime’s efforts to suppress dissidents abroad.
He raised questions about the French government’s plans to combat the CCP’s covert activities against Falun Gong practitioners in France.
In response, a French Parliament member mentioned exploring the adoption of a resolution to defend freedom of belief, speech, and expression as a crucial issue.
