Bill Text: NJ ACR72 | 2018-2019 | Regular Session | Introduced

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Bill Title: Condemns People's Republic of China for human rights abuses against Falun Gong practitioners and political prisoners relating to organ harvesting.

Spectrum: Slight Partisan Bill (Democrat 4-2)

Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2018-01-09 - Introduced, Referred to Assembly State and Local Government Committee [ACR72 Detail]

Download: New_Jersey-2018-ACR72-Introduced.html

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ASSEMBLY CONCURRENT RESOLUTION No. 72

STATE OF NEW JERSEY

218th LEGISLATURE

 

PRE-FILED FOR INTRODUCTION IN THE 2018 SESSION

 

 

Sponsored by:

Assemblywoman  ANNETTE CHAPARRO

District 33 (Hudson)

 

 

 

 

SYNOPSIS

     Condemns People's Republic of China for human rights abuses against Falun Gong practitioners and political prisoners relating to organ harvesting.

 

CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT

     Introduced Pending Technical Review by Legislative Counsel.

  

A Concurrent Resolution condemning the People's Republic of China for human rights abuses against Falun Gong practitioners and political prisoners relating to organ harvesting. 

 

Whereas, The recognition of the inherent dignity, equality, and inalienable rights of all members of the human family is the foundation of freedom, justice, and peace in the world; and

Whereas, As a signatory of the United Nations International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, the People's Republic of China (PRC) is obliged to honor the freedoms of thought, conscience, and religion for all persons and prohibit the practice of torture, inhumane punishment, and non-consensual medical experimentation; and

Whereas, Since beginning its brutal crackdown against Falun Gong practitioners in 1999, the PRC, acting through the auspices of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), has repeatedly violated each of these human rights commitments; and

Whereas, Falun Gong is a spiritual practice whose key features include meditative exercises and teachings that resemble Buddhism and Daoism, which emphasize the universal principles of truthfulness, compassion, and tolerance; and

Whereas, Founded in 1992 by Li Hongzhi, Falun Gong quickly became popular throughout China as its teachings offered practitioners personal fulfillment and a reconnection to traditional Chinese culture after decades of state-sponsored Maoist revolutionary struggle, Han ethno-nationalism, and post-economic reform consumerism; and

Whereas, By 1999, Falun Gong had over 70 million practitioners, and fearing the movement's growing influence the PRC President and CCP General Secretary Jiang Zemin launched a nationwide campaign in July 1999 to purge the alleged "evil cult" from Chinese society; and

Whereas, Since 1999, hundreds of thousands of Falun Gong practitioners have been detained in "legal education centers," "black jails," and reeducation labor camps and subjected to physical and psychological abuses in an effort to force recantation; and 

Whereas, Evidence also suggests that non-consenting prisoners of conscience, comprised primarily of Falun Gong practitioners, but also Muslim Uyghurs and other political dissidents, were subjected to state-sanctioned organ harvesting throughout the 2000s; and

Whereas, Prisoners of conscience, which include persons who are deprived of their freedom, imprisoned for their beliefs, and coerced to recant, are unable, in principle, to give voluntary and informed consent concerning organ donation; and

Whereas, The practice of harvesting organs from executed prisoners was officially adopted by the PRC in 1984 after it enacted the "Temporary Rules Concerning the Utilization of Corpses or Organs from the Corpses of Executed Criminals," which stated that "the use of the corpses or organs of executed criminals must be kept strictly secret, and attention must be paid to avoiding negative repercussions"; and

Whereas, This "temporary" policy remained in use throughout the 2000s, as former Vice-Minister of Health Huang Jiefu publically admitted in 2005 that more than 90 percent of deceased organ donors were executed prisoners; and

Whereas, Although up to 100,000 organ transplants are performed in China each year, China does not comply with the World Health Organization's organ procurement transparency requirements, rendering much of its organ supply unidentifiable; and

Whereas, Based on official statistics, estimates indicate that executed prisoners accounted for approximately 50 percent of all organ transplants performed in China in 2013; and

Whereas, Circumstantial evidence and witness testimony indicates that Falun Gong practitioners account for a substantial portion of this total, with reports estimating that roughly 65,000 Falun Gong adherents were killed for their organs between 2000 and 2008; and

Whereas, According to Freedom House, a non-governmental organization that focuses on human rights issues, "there are reasons to believe that such abuses continue" in 2017; and

Whereas, The suppression of Falun Gong and the practice of state-sanctioned organ harvesting each constitute clear violations of the United Nations International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights; and

Whereas, Just as the international community has criticized these abuses, so too do the people of New Jersey consider these practices to be an intolerable affront to the universal rights of humanity and worthy of the utmost condemnation; now, therefore,

 

     Be It Resolved by the Senate of the State of New Jersey (the General Assembly concurring):

 

     1.    This Legislature condemns the People's Republic of China for human rights abuses against Falun Gong practitioners and political prisoners relating to the practice of state-sanctioned organ harvesting from non-consenting prisoners of conscience.

 

     2.    Copies of this resolution, as filed with the Secretary of State, shall be transmitted by the Clerk of the General Assembly or the Secretary of the Senate to the Ambassador of the People's Republic of China to the United States and the Permanent Representative of the People's Republic of China to the United Nations.

STATEMENT

 

     This resolution condemns the People's Republic of China for human rights abuses against Falun Gong practitioners and political prisoners relating to the practice of state-sanctioned organ harvesting from non-consenting prisoners of conscience.

     As a signatory of the United Nations International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, the People's Republic of China (PRC) is obliged to respect the freedom of thought, conscience, and religion of its people, as well as prohibit the practice of inhumane and non-consensual medical experimentation.  However, since beginning its brutal campaign against the Falun Gong in 1999, the PRC has broken each of these commitments to the international community.

     Founded in 1992 by Li Hongzhi, Falun Gong is a traditional Chinese spiritual practice.  Similar to the Buddhist and Daoist traditions, Falun Gong practices consist of meditative practices that emphasize the principles of truthfulness, compassion, and tolerance.  By early 1999, Falun Gong consisted of over 70 million practitioners.

     Fearing its growing social influence, the PRC President and General Secretary of the Chinese Communist Party, Jiang Zemin, launched a nationwide purge against the Falun Gong.  Since this crackdown, hundreds of thousands--possibly even millions--of Falun Gong practitioners have been detained in "legal education centers," "black jails," and reeducation labor camps.  These prisoners of conscience are often subjected to physical and psychological abuses and coerced into renouncing their beliefs. 

     Moreover, credible reports indicate that imprisoned Falun Gong practitioners, as well as other prisoners of conscience such as the Muslim Uyghurs, were subjected to state-sanctioned organ harvesting throughout the 2000s.  Between the years of 2000 and 2008, these reports estimate that roughly 65,000 Falun Gong practitioners were killed for their organs.  Human rights organizations, such as Freedom House, also maintain that there are reasons to believe that these abuses continue today.

     The suppression of Falun Gong and the practice of non-consensual organ harvesting each constitute clear violations of the PRC's human rights commitments under the United Nations International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.  The people of New Jersey consider these practices to be an intolerable affront to the inalienable rights of humanity and worthy of the utmost condemnation.