'A First Step Forward': Researcher Backs Bill Against Organ Harvesting

Cynthia Son, Senior Researcher at the Falun Dafa Information Center joined me earlier to discuss the CCP's transnational repression and how passage of the bill could help protect those targeted by the regime, including those on U.S. soil. Cynthia, thank you so much for joining us tonight. Thank you so much for having me. So first, we know that Senators Ted Cruz and Jeff Merkley, both on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, have now introduced the Falun Gong and Forced Organ Harvesting Victims Protection Act. And tell us more about what this bill is and what its significance. Yeah, so it's actually pretty easy. You know, first you identify, then you sanction, and then you expose. And we're trying to target specific perpetrators of forced organ harvesting, which is an atrocity that's gone on for at least two decades, as far as we know. And it's really heartening to see that Democrats, especially a leader like Merkley, is so enthused about supporting victims. And it's become a bipartisan issue, which it always has been in our hearts, because it's really a human rights issue. It's really great to see these two leaders in Senate get together and reintroduce this bill, which supersedes the previous one, which is the Falun Gong Protection Act. So two questions now. First, dive in a bit more for our audience who are wondering, what is Falun Gong? And what is forced organ harvesting? Like, what are these things, essentially? And why does it require more attention? Yeah, so, I mean, Congress has known about organ harvesting for a few years now. There's multiple bills about the issue. But it goes really back to 2006, where Falun Gong practitioners, you know, this large, mainstream faith group in China, were whistleblowing about this phenomenon of being persecuted, killed for their organs. And essentially, prisoners of conscience were being sold to tourists and to patients, and for very cheap, because these prisoners of conscience, there's no accountability towards crimes against them. So what this new act does is really try to combat that, to try to protect American financial and visa systems from being exploited, from being complicit in these crimes. And so if a Chinese official or a Chinese surgeon is found to have committed these medical crimes, then their visa is stripped from the US, their properties might also be stripped, and their family won't be able to visit the US in the future. Tell us more about why Falun Gong was being persecuted and still is by the Chinese Communist Party. And what has the US Congress and lawmakers on both sides of the aisle have spoken out about it? Yeah, I mean, we've received multitudes of annual speeches and proclamations over the past 26 years since the persecution began. What Falun Gong is at its core is Chinese traditional culture. We believe in the divine, we believe in the creator. And it's something spiritual that the CCP's guns and torture and different methods can't touch, because they're trying to fight a physical war with a spiritual entity, with a spiritual realm. And so in terms of actually being targeting Falun Gong and persecuting Falun Gong, they haven't been successful. And that's something that I think most people underappreciate, how faith is really at the core of Chinese people's identity, prior to communism, and perhaps even in the future of China after communism. Well, we've certainly seen leaders from around the world spoken out about both abuses going on in China, but also a new aspect in recent years, which is the CCP's transnational repression, targeting dissidents abroad, including here in the US, but also regular American citizens. Talk to us more about what is going on. Yeah, so transnational repression is when the Chinese government or a foreign maligned government interferes with the domestic security and the civil society of Americans or of another government. And just two weeks ago, I believe, February 27th, there was a Falun Gong practitioner, Lydia Dong, who was attacked in New York City by a Chinese man. She was just standing there on the street, passing out flyers, and a Chinese man came from behind her and punched her in the head. Over the past two years, there have been at least seven similar incidents in New York City related to assault, related to, you know, these criminals who are really trying to discriminate and silence the truth. Talk to us more about, though, what evidence points to the CCP being actually behind these attacks happening in the US or other incidents that are against or targeting dissidents abroad. What are some signs that we can look into to see that, oh, this is not like individual behavior, but really a transnational repression being sponsored by a foreign adversary? Yeah, so over the past three, four years, we've tracked over 300 incidents of transnational repression, including assault battery, including death threats, including bomb threats. And it really started in June 2022, when Xi Jinping held a meeting specifically to talk about transnational oppression, to talk about silencing and ending Falun Gong once and for all, because in his words, the entire campaign hasn't been creative enough. And so far, the persecution of Falun Gong hasn't succeeded. And that's his words, not mine. And so what we've seen is, from that point on, there have been appointments in the United Front, there have appointments in the Ministry of Public Security, the Ministry of State Security, all the way down to the lower echelons of Chinese officials who are actually trying to use even overseas associations and Chinese consulates to suppress Falun Gong and attack Falun Gong in broad daylight. And finally, this act, this Falun Gong, as well as victims of forced organ harvesting Protection Act, how will this bill potentially deter those actions by maligned foreign actors? And what's your message to lawmakers on the Hill who will be seeing this bill on their desk? Yeah, I mean, this act is really the first, will be the first ever law to pass specifically investigating forced organ harvesting and specifically investigating the crimes and perhaps even designating them an atrocity. And so I think that is a first step forward. There are a lot of steps to go from here. But to be able to even say that we have a law, that brings a lot of attention to the table. It brings a lot of attention towards Falun Gong practitioners who are out in the streets. It brings more attention towards security. It brings more credibility to the stories and the experiences of torture that these victims have faced. And in terms of what lawmakers should do, I think they should sponsor this new bill. It's an amazing effort. It's supported by both sides of the House, the Senate, Democrats and Republicans. A rare show of bipartisanship. Hopefully it comes to fruition. Thank you so much, Cynthia, for joining us. Appreciate it. Thank you so much.