The International Coalition To End Transplant Abuse In China (ETAC) calls on all governments, at the upcoming session of the Human Rights Council, February 25 to March 22, 2019 to include in their statements under agenda item 4 – Human rights situations that require the Council’s attention – a component urging China to account for the vast number of transplants its hospitals report, up to 100,000 a year, far beyond the official figures of 16,687 for the year 2017. Researchers David Matas, David Kilgour and Ethan Gutmann have identified the sources of organs as prisoners of conscience Tibetans, Uighurs, House Christians and primarily practitioners of the spiritually based set of exercises Falun Gong.

• An Independent People’s Tribunal into Forced Organ Harvesting of Prisoners of Conscience in China, whose mandate is 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, has issued an Interim Judgement, finding: “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 practised for a substantial period of time involving a very substantial number of victims.”

The Tribunal is chaired by Sir Geoffrey Nice QC, who worked at the United Nations International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia – the ICTY – and led the prosecution of Slobodan Milošević.

• Interim Judgement
• China Tribunal

• The European Parliament, United States Congress House of Representatives and the Subcommittee on International Human Rights of the Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs and International Development of the House of Commons Parliament of Canada have called reports of this sourcing from prisoners of conscience as “persistent and credible”.

• Joint Motion for a Resolution on Organ Harvesting in China
• H.Res.343
• SDIR Committee Meeting

• The United Nations Rapporteur on Torture, the United Nations Rapporteur on Religious Intolerance and the United Nations Committee on Torture have all called on China to explain the discrepancy between the volume of its transplants and the volume of its identifiable sources.

• Report of the Special Rapporteur on torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment, Manfred Nowak
• Report of the Special Rapporteur on freedom of religion or belief, Asma Jahangir
• Concluding observations of the Committee against Torture on the fourth periodic report of China

• The European Parliament and the UN Committee on Torture, in two separate years, and the United States Congress House of Representatives have all called on the Government of China to cooperate with an independent investigation with a credible, transparent, and independent investigation into organ transplant abuse in China.

• Concluding observations of the Committee against Torture on the fourth and fifth reports of China

The Government of China denies that it ever harvested organs from prisoners of conscience and claims that sourcing of organs from prisoners sentenced to death has stopped. The Government of China claim that all transplants are sourced from donations.

Government of China claims of sourcing from donations are contradicted by the donations statistics from its donation centres and the availability of transplants booked in advance without coordination among patients. The Government statistics of transplant volumes are contradicted by cumulative transplant volume figures coming from individual hospitals. China has produced unsatisfactory answers to questions asked or does not answer questions altogether. Governments should continue to pursue the matter.

For further information contact David Matas at dmatas@mts.net

Yours sincerely,

Dr David Matas

Human Rights Lawyer
International Advisory Committee Member, International Coalition To End Transplant Abuse In China (ETAC)

Clive Ansley

Lawyer
International Advisory Committee Member, ETAC

Dr Graeme Barber, FRCS(C) FRACS

Vascular Surgeon (retired)
Canadian Committee Member, ETAC

Madeleine Bridgett

Prof Arthur Caplan

Professor of Bioethics – USA
International Advisory Committee Member, ETAC

Prof Maria Cheung

Associate Professor, Faculty of Social Work, University of Manitoba Chair, Canadian Committee, ETAC

Dr Robyn Clay-Williams

Research Fellow, Macquarie University Australian Committee Member, ETAC

Prof Heather Draper

Chair of Bioethics, Health Sciences, Warwick Medical School, University of Warwick – UK
International Advisory Committee Member, ETAC

Dr Tony Ellis

Human Rights Barrister
NZ Committee Member, ETAC

Dr Norman Epstein

Emergency Physician & Human Rights Activist Canadian Committee Member, ETAC

Jaya Gibson

Investigative Journalist & Communications Consultant NZ Committee Member, ETAC

Louisa Greve

International Affairs/Asia Specialist – USA International Advisory Committee Member, ETAC

Ethan Gutman

Investigative Journalist
International Advisory Committee Member, ETAC

Megan Hirst

Barrister, UK
UK Committee Member, ETAC

Susie Hughes

Executive Director
Chair, Australian Committee, ETAC

Rebecca James

UK National Manager, Outreach and Co-chair, UK Committee, ETAC

David Kilgour

Former Secretary of State for Asia-Pacific International Advisory Committee Member, ETAC

Victoria Ledwidge

Communications Coordinator and UK Committee Member, ETAC

Dr Niall McCrae

Senior Lecturer in Mental Health at King’s College London UK Committee Member, ETAC

Margo MacVicar

Manager, New Zealand Advocacy & Initiatives and Chair, NZ Committee, ETAC

Andy Moody

UK National Manager, Initiatives and Co-chair, UK Committee, ETAC

Dr Greg Moorlock

Senior Teaching Fellow, Bioethicist – Social Science & Systems in Health, University of Warwick

UK Committee Member, ETAC

Michelle Nguyen

Principal Solicitor/Partner, My. T. Nguyen Solicitors Australian Committee Member, ETAC

Dr David Nicholl

Consultant Neurologist, SWBH & Honorary Senior Lecturer, University of Birmingham UK Committee Member, ETAC

Ewelina Orchab

Human Rights Advocate, PhD Candidate in international Law UK Committee Member, ETAC

Dr Sev Ozdowski AM FAICD

Honorary Professor, Centre of Peace and Conflict Studies and Director of Equity and Diversity – Australia
International Advisory Committee Member, ETAC

Prof Wendy Rogers, FRACGP

Professor of Clinical Ethics, Macquarie University, Sydney Chair, International Advisory Committee, ETAC

Benedict Rogers

East Asia Team Leader, CSW
Deputy Chairman, UK Conservative Party Human Rights Commission

Keith Spencer

Director, Spencer & Co Legal Australian Committee Member, ETAC

Enver Tohti

Former Surgeon from Xinjiang, China – UK International Advisory Committee Member, ETAC