'Desperate' need to implement law against organ harvesting

 The forced organ harvesting from Falun Gong practitioners (who believe in the cultivation of moral character through forbearance) in China has been the largest-scale atrocity in the world, and the Taiwanese traveling to the country are either organ recipients or transplant surgeon, NTD news reported citing experts.

While addressing the presser on the eve of International Human Rights Day, Theresa Chu, a human rights lawyer and the chair of the Universal Declaration on Combating and Preventing Forced Organ Harvesting steering committee said, "So, it is imperative that Taiwan implement the criminal law to protect our citizens from becoming complicit in this crime against humanity."

Notably, the UDCPFOH was issued in 2021 by five NGOs from the United States, Europe, Taiwan, South Korea, and Japan. And now, the list of co-signatories from around the world has increased and joined hands to support the Universal Declaration, according to NTD news.

The Taiwan legislators across the party had proposed a criminal law to punish the harvester of forced organ transplant.

In the press conference, Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) legislator Hsu Chih-Chieh said that this practice especially takes place in China where forced organ harvesting from living prisoners of conscience has been going on for two decades.

"We believe that all of humanity should stand up and condemn and stop the practice of live organ harvesting."

"I also invite the parliaments and human rights defenders of the world's leading countries to work together to promote legislation to build a global protective net against the atrocity of live harvesting. Together, we defend freedom, democracy, and human rights!"

Taiwanese lawmakers' action received global support. During the press conference, a video was played where the leaders from across the world sent their support message, reported NTD news.

Lord David Alton, British House of Lords, said, "it was Jiang Zemin the former leader of the CCP who gave orders to eradicate Falun Gong and in his words 'by any means necessary,' and he set up the 610 Office, which was instructed to carry out those orders."

"These crimes against humanity may well have been carried out also against Uyghur Muslims, Tibetan Buddhists, and Christians."

He further added that considering the serious allegation, the British parliament had moved the amendments to legislation that will penalize anyone who is found to have collaborated in these abhorrent crimes

Confirming that forced organ harvesting is still occurring in China, Korean TV producer and media personality Kim Hyun-Chul said, "I visited the largest organ transplant hospital in China to expose the inside story of illegal organ transplants and our documentary was widely circulated in Korea. I later attended the China Tribunal in London, UK as a witness to tell the world what I saw and heard [in China]. The whole truth has been revealed. It is a fact that live organ harvesting and illegal transplants are taking place in China."

"Taiwan has been working in the international community for a long time to put an end to the live organ harvesting that is taking place in mainland China. Korea has also been working together with Taiwan to tell the world the truth about live organ harvesting, as many Koreans go to mainland China for organ transplantation," NTD news quoted Kim as saying.

"It is time for concrete action to be taken."

Kim applauds Taiwan's legislative efforts, "your actions will be remembered in history, and I applaud you! Let's work together until the end!"

In that support message video, Korean Association for Ethical Organ Transplants (KAEOT) president Seung-won Lee; Peter Van Dalen, a Member of the European Parliament from Holland; Thierry Valle, French CAP Chairman; Andrey Kovatchev, Bulgarian politician; and European Parliament member Ihan Kyuchyuk were also present.