Human Rights Action Group’s Position on Forced Organ Harvesting

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Human Rights Action Group (HRAG) condemns the practice of forced organ harvesting in all its forms, including the systematic and state-enabled removal of organs from non-consenting individuals.

HRAG is concerned by the substantial body of evidence indicating that prisoners of conscience in the People’s Republic of China have been subjected to forced organ harvesting. Victims identified in public reporting, expert testimony, and independent investigations include Falun Gong practitioners, Uyghurs, Tibetans, House Christians, and other detained members of minority groups.

Forced organ harvesting violates international law, including the prohibition on the commission of torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment; the right of victims to life and to health; and to the extent that forced organ harvesting is committed as part of a widespread or systematic attack on a civilian population, crimes against humanity. If forced organ harvesting is carried out against members of a national, ethnical, racial, or religious group, and accompanied by an intent to destroy the group, in whole or in part, it may also constitute genocide.

HRAG emphasizes the importance of—

1. Supporting independent, transparent, and international investigations into allegations of forced organ harvesting, including through United Nations mechanisms and other credible fact-finding bodies;
2. Enacting or strengthening domestic legislation prohibiting organ trafficking and transplant tourism, including through the exercise of extraterritorial or universal jurisdiction where appropriate;
3. Taking measures to prevent nationals, medical professionals, and institutions from knowingly participating in or benefiting from illicit organ transplantation; and
4. Utilizing accountability tools, including targeted sanctions and criminal investigations, to hold responsible or complicit individuals and entities to account and to deter future abuses.

HRAG affirms that forced organ harvesting is not an isolated abuse but a potential indicator of broader systems of repression. Addressing it requires a coordinated legal response that centres victims and ensures that those responsible are held to account.

Human Rights Action Group (HRAG) is a registered Canadian charitable organization and a recognized Civil Society Organization with the Law Society of Ontario. We provide pro bono legal services to victims and communities affected by mass atrocity crimes and gross human rights violations. Working in partnership with diaspora-led civil society organizations, HRAG develops and implements legal strategies and leverages domestic, regional, and international mechanisms to promote accountability, strengthen community capacity, and uphold the rule of law worldwide.