Jim Shannon, MP for Strangford and Chair of the All Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) for Freedom of Religion or Belief (FoRB) tabled the following Motion for debate in the House of Commons on March 26th: forced live organ extraction in China
Here is a link to the debate
He is also one of the signatories to an Early Day Motion on the same subject:
You can find the details about the EDM here:
https://edm.parliament.uk/early-day-motion/52641/forced-live-organ-extraction-from-prisoners-of-conscience-in-china
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Spectator article April 3rd 2019
April 4th 2019
Lord Alton of Liverpool (CB)
Has the Minister had a chance to read yesterday’s Spectator and last week’s Westminster Hall debate about forced organ harvesting from China’s religious minorities, including Falun Gong, Uyghur Muslims, Tibetan Buddhists and, possibly, Christian dissidents along with prisoners of conscience?
Fiona Bruce, Member of Parliament and chair of the Conservative Party Human Rights Commission, described it as,
“potentially nothing less than a 21st century genocide”,
and “almost a perfect crime” because “no one survives”.
Will the Government attend this week’s China Tribunal hearings, chaired by Sir Geoffrey Nice QC—who prosecuted Slobodan Milošević—and modelled on the people’s tribunal into the Vietnam War, pioneered by Bertrand Russell and Jean-Paul Sartre?
Their interim findings say that tribunal members are,
“certain—unanimously, and sure beyond reasonable doubt—that in China forced organ harvesting from prisoners of conscience has been practised for a substantial period of time involving a very substantial number of victims”.
Will the Government ask China for its response to these deeply disturbing findings?
Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon
I read the debate that took place, not the article, but I will do so.
On a number of occasions, the noble Lord and I have talked about the specific issue of organ harvesting.
I assure him that we are watching and working closely on the outcomes of Sir Geoffrey Nice’s review. The detailed report will also be out later this year.
Our officials have attended every evidence session and will continue to do so and update accordingly.
In raising this issue directly, I am deeply concerned, like the noble Lord, particularly because there is an issue of organ harvesting not just from people elsewhere: I have heard it suggested and was briefed on prisoners in the system being used for this purpose.
The situation is deeply concerning and we are raising it at all levels.
Lord Hunt of Kings Heath (Lab)
Is the noble Lord prepared to raise this issue with the World Health Organization? Its responses to concerns raised about the use of organs in the appalling way suggested by the noble Lord, Lord Alton, were very weak.
I hope that the Government will be as vigorous in dealing with the WHO as they appear to be with the Chinese Government.
Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon
The noble Lord makes a valid point. I assure him that, as the UK’s Human Rights Minister, I will raise this issue with all appropriate organisations.
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You can join an online viewing of the second public hearings of the Independent Tribunal into Forced Organ Harvesting from Prisoners of Conscience in China, taking place in CENTRAL LONDON – 6TH AND 7TH APRIL, 2019.
REGISTER TO WATCH ONLINE –https://chinatribunal.com/the-hearings-april-2019/
CHINA TRIBUNAL BACKGROUND & INTERIM JUDGEMENT
The China Tribunal is an independent peoples tribunal, established to determine what criminal offences, if any, have been committed by state or state-approved bodies, organisations or individuals in China that may have engaged in forced organ harvesting.
The Tribunal is chaired by Sir Geoffrey Nice, QC who worked at the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia – the ICTY – and led the prosecution of Slobodan Milosevic.
The Tribunal held public hearings in December, 2018 with 30 fact witnesses, experts and investigators appearing before the Tribunal in London.WWW.CHINATRIBUNAL.COM/THE-HEARINGS/
On the final day the Tribunal issued an INTERIM JUDGEMENT that in part stated:
“The Tribunal’s members are all certain – unanimously, and sure beyond reasonable doubt – that in China forced organ harvesting from prisoners of conscience has been practiced for a substantial period of time involving a very substantial number of victims.”
APRIL HEARINGS
During the upcoming April hearings the Tribunal panel will speak with experts, investigators and fact witnesses who will appear via video link from various locations around the world to present and be questioned on their evidence. We hope you may be interested to watch this important event online.
Register to view the China Tribunal Hearings online via this link –
https://chinatribunal.com/the-hearings-april-2019/
Further information about the Tribunal, including the Interim Judgement and videos of the December hearings please visitWWW.CHINATRIBUNAL.COM
Yours sincerely,
Rebecca James, Outreach Manager
[email protected]
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:
Forbes – ‘ORGAN HARVESTING IN CHINA AND THE MANY QUESTIONS TO BE ANSWERED’
British Medical Journal – ‘CHINA HARVESTED ORGANS FROM POLITICAL PRISONERS ON SUBSTANTIAL SCALE, SAYS TRIBUNAL’
Forbes – ‘HOW CHINESE DOCTORS WHO HARVEST ORGANS GET AWAY WITH MURDER’
