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China: Prisoners

It has not proved possible to respond to this question in the time available before Prorogation. Ministers will correspond directly with the Member.

I set out the Government’s position in Parliament on 25 July in response to an Oral Question. I noted the time and energy that the International Coalition to End Transplant Abuse in China has dedicated to this issue. The evidence presented at the hearings they organised provided disturbing details about the mistreatment of Falun Gong practitioners, and raised worrying questions about China’s transplant system. Officials have reviewed the evidence thoroughly. While the evidence is not incontrovertible, we take these allegations seriously and have consulted the World Health Organization (WHO), NGOs and international partners. The WHO’s view is that China is implementing an ethical, voluntary organ transplant system in accordance with international standards, though they do have concerns about overall transparency.

We currently do not have any plans to make representations to the Chinese Government on allegations of systematic, state-sponsored organ harvesting, nor raise the allegations at the UN Human Rights Council (UN HRC). However, we regularly raise concerns about the treatment of religious and ethnic minorities, both directly with Chinese officials and at the UN HRC.