On June 21, the Taipei City Council passed a resolution to show its support for a global declaration aimed at ending forced organ harvesting in China. The resolution was initiated by Hong Jian-yi, a Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Taipei City Councilor, and was co-signed by 28 councillors from various political parties. It condemns the state-sanctioned organ harvesting conducted by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), expresses support for international legislation against this inhumane practice in China, and advises the public against engaging in illegal organ trading and transplantation in China.
In an interview, Hong stated that the resolution represents universal values and a global aspiration. He also suggested that other city councils across Taiwan could endorse and support the resolution. Hong emphasized the need for joint condemnation of the practice of live organ harvesting, stating that mainland China has the highest number of cases of forced live organ harvesting compared to other countries worldwide.
Hsu, emphasizing the importance of human rights, stated that the proposal has received support from lawmakers across different political parties in the legislature.
DPP Taipei City Councilor Li Jian-chang expressed the belief that the Legislative Yuan of the Republic of China should pass laws with appropriate sanctions against organ transplants in China. He highlighted the need to raise awareness among fellow citizens about the existence of forced organ harvesting under the authoritarian regime.
The resolution passed by Taipei City Council follows a similar resolution passed by the Taoyuan City Council on June 7, indicating a growing trend of support for addressing the issue of forced organ harvesting in Taiwan.
Lawmakers from various political parties in the Legislative Yuan of Taiwan are currently collaborating to draft criminal legislation aimed at combating and preventing forced organ harvesting.
Taiwan has been actively engaging with the international community in its efforts to put an end to the practice of forced organ harvesting from living individuals.
In September 2021, the “Universal Declaration on Combating and Preventing Forced Organ Harvesting” (UDCPFOH) was initially signed by five NGOs: Doctors Against Forced Organ Harvesting (DAFOH) from the United States, CAP Freedom of Conscience from Europe, Taiwan Association for International Care of Organ Transplants (TAICOT), Korea Association for Ethical Organ Transplants (KAEOT), and Transplant Tourism Research Association (TTRA) based in Japan.
Since then, the number of co-signatories has grown, and currently, there are over 130 organizations worldwide supporting the UDCPFOH. The signatories include former government officials, legislators, professors, medical professionals, lawyers, judges, journalists, authors, human rights activists, and NGOs. The UDCPFOH aims to protect
human rights, uphold justice, and put an end to forced organ harvesting from living individuals without their consent and for profit.
In the United States, efforts have also been made to combat forced organ harvesting. Texas recently signed a bipartisan bill into law on June 18 to address the Chinese regime’s criminal practice of forced organ harvesting. In the previous year, the Texas Senate unanimously adopted a resolution condemning the Chinese regime’s practice of forcibly removing human organs for transplantation, urging the United States to take a more assertive stance on the issue.
Furthermore, the U.S. House Foreign Affairs Committee unanimously passed H.R. 1154, also known as the Stop Forced Organ Harvesting Act of 2023, on February 28. The bill is set to be debated in the full House. If passed, it would prohibit the entry of perpetrators involved in forced organ harvesting into the United States, block financial transactions related to such activities on U.S. soil, and require the U.S. secretary of state to report to Congress on organ transplant abuses.
Representative Chris Smith, a Republican from New Jersey and the main sponsor of the bill, highlighted the significant penalties included in the legislation for individuals implicated in forced organ harvesting. These penalties entail a civil penalty of up to
$250,000 and a criminal penalty of up to $1 million, as well as a maximum prison sentence of 20 years.
Currently, 19 countries have enacted extraterritorial legislation that allows for the prosecution of individuals involved in organ killing abroad within their own jurisdictions. This information comes from David Matas, a well-known international human rights lawyer. Additionally, the Council of Europe has established a Convention against Trafficking in Human Organs, urging governments to treat the illicit removal of human organs as a criminal offense. The Chinese state government, under the control of CCP, must be stopped from the mayhem it has unleashed on its own people while completely ignoring basic human rights.