China’s organ harvesting trade: fighting a billion dollar crime
China’s illicit forced organ harvesting industry, valued at a staggering $1 billion annually, targets ethnic and religious minorities, including Uyghurs, Tibetans, Muslims, Christians, and Falun Gong practitioners. This abhorrent trade has drawn condemnation from U.S. lawmakers across party lines, as well as human rights organizations across the globe.
Background on China’s crimes against humanity
For over two decades, China has been accused of prosecuting a state-sponsored campaign of forced organ harvesting using prisoners of conscience. Despite vehement denials from Beijing, mounting evidence and international consensus stresses the urgent need for action. The findings of the China Tribunal, corroborated by leading researchers and U.N. experts, highlight the systematic nature of forced organ harvesting in China, constituting crimes against humanity.
According to The European Times, researchers estimate that between 60,000 and 100,000 transplants have taken place every year in China since the early 2000s.