The tribunal was unanimous in their decision, and declared that they were “certain that Falun Gong as a source – probably the principal source – of organs for forced organ harvesting”.
Falun Gong or Falun Dafa is a Chinese religious spiritual practice that combines meditation and qigong exercises with a moral philosophy centered on the tenets of truthfulness, compassion, and forbearance. This is a peaceful movement overall, however, the Chinese government is especially suspicious of religious movements because those types of groups have a history of starting revolutions in the country.
Sir Geoffrey Nice said that he believes that the government of China will continue to harvest organs from detainees.
“The conclusion shows that very many people have died indescribably hideous deaths for no reason, that more may suffer in similar ways and that all of us live on a planet where extreme wickedness may be found in the power of those, for the time being, running a country with one of the oldest civilisations known to modern man. There is no evidence of the practice having been stopped and the tribunal is satisfied that it is continuing,” he told the Guardian.
The evidence provided to the tribunal showed that the vast majority of the detainees who became involuntary organ donors were members of Falun Gong. However, there was also small pieces of evidence suggesting that Tibetans, Uighur Muslims, and some Christian sects are facing similar circumstances while being detained.
The government in China has vehemently denied these claims. Back in 2014, China announced that it would stop taking organs from prisoners, and Chinese officials insist that they have kept to this promise.
A statement from officials in China earlier this year stated that:
“The Chinese government always follows the World Health Organization’s guiding principles on human organ transplant, and has strengthened its management on organ transplant in recent years. On 21 March 2007, the Chinese state council enacted the regulation on human organ transplant, providing that human organ donation must be done voluntarily and gratis. We hope that the British people will not be misled by rumours.”
The evidence seen by the tribunal included reports from witnesses who worked at Chinese hospitals, who told investigators that wait times for organs were unusually low because they were being harvested from Falun Gong followers.
Former inmates also testified before the tribunal, stating that they were put through a rigorous medical routine while behind bars.