(Minghui.org) The United Kingdom enacted an amendment in April 2022 that makes it possible to punish those involved in organ trafficking abroad. It has since drawn wide attention from the British media, lawyers, and medical experts. As Minghui.org has previously reported, the focus is now particularly on the collaboration of Western surgeons and institutions with the communist regime in China, which has faced allegations of state-sanctioned organ harvesting from persecuted Falun Gong practitioners since 2006. The following is a summary in reference to other articles.
U.K. Tightens Up Organ Transplant Laws
According to the Health and Care Act, the U.K. government enacted a new amendment [1] in April 2022, which criminalizes commercial organ tourism. All British citizens and nationals can be prosecuted for engaging in organ tourism: this “involves either the forced harvesting of organs or the black-market trade in organs” – even if the crimes take place overseas.
The amendment has since drawn discussion from lawyers and medical experts. The thorny question is, especially when dealing with China’s health care system, at what point does one become complicit in crimes against humanity?
Legal Experts Warn of Risks in Collaborating with Chinese Medical Community
In April 2022, The Global Rights Compliance Association [2] published a 70-page-long dossier [3] with more than 300 footnotes on this subject, which examines (or investigates) the risks of dealing with institutions and staff in the international transplant research community. It addressed Western medical professionals, institutions, and pharmaceutical companies. It specifically highlighted the killing of prisoners of conscience by the Chinese communist regime in the procurement of organs:
“Thus, in the context of the PRC, the incarceration of prisoners of conscience, including Falun Gong practitioners and Uyghurs, without any fair trial and due processes and/or under the pretext of the commission of serious crimes, and their execution following a death sentence aimed at disguising the intentional killing for the purpose of organ removal, is a grave violation of the fundamental human right to life and the prohibition of torture and inhumane treatment.”
Media Reports About Organ Harvesting in China
The new law has also drawn attention from several major media in the U.K.
The Metro [4] interviewed Wayne Jordash, a top lawyer, who warned U.K. medical institutions, including the National Health Service, that they will face the risk of legal action in case of participating in the organ trade. (See article on Minghui.org: New U.K. Law to Stop Live Organ Harvesting Takes Effect)
In addition, on May 27, The Telegraph [5] also questioned to what extent British researchers and institutions are supporting China’s organ harvesting. Falun Gong practitioner Annie Yang was interviewed for the article. She said she was repeatedly forced to undergo medical examinations while held in a Chinese labor camp from 2005 to 2006, during which time she was also subjected to constant torture and abuse. (See article on Minghui.org: The Telegraph: Forced Organ Harvesting in China and its Connection with Western Technologies)
Appendix:
(1) https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2022/31/section/170/enacted(2) “Global Rights Compliance” ist eine gemeinnützige Stiftung der auf Menschenrechtsangelegenheiten spezialisierten gleichnamigen Anwaltskanzlei aus Den Haag.(3) “Mitigating Human Rights Risks when Interacting with International Medical Institutions Professionals in Transplantation Medicine”: https://globalrightscompliance.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/Legal-Advisory-Report-Do-No-Harm-April-2022.pdf(4) https://metro.co.uk/2022/05/03/uk-companies-risk-legal-action-if-they-are-linked-to-forced-organ-trade-in-china-16575853/(5) https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2022/05/27/british-science-fears-might-aiding-abetting-chinese-human-organ/
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Category: Organ Harvesting
