Chinese Regime Unintentionally Implicates Itself in Forced Organ Harvesting as Survivor Speaks Out, Human Rights Advocates Say

In an effort to discredit the first known survivor of forced organ harvesting to come forward from China, the Chinese regime may have inadvertently provided evidence implicating itself in the crime, according to human rights advocates.

The regime’s rare public response came in the form of a lengthy article published across multiple state-run outlets and police bureaus, targeting Cheng Peiming, a 59-year-old Falun Gong practitioner now residing in the United States. Cheng recently shared his harrowing experience of having parts of his liver and lung forcibly removed while imprisoned in China.

Falun Gong, a spiritual practice rooted in the principles of truthfulness, compassion, and tolerance, has been the target of a brutal crackdown by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) for over 25 years. Practitioners of Falun Gong have been subjected to widespread torture, propaganda, and imprisonment. Many, like Cheng, have also been victims of forced organ harvesting, a practice where organs are forcibly removed from prisoners, often resulting in death.

Cheng’s Ordeal

Cheng endured six years of torture during his imprisonment for practicing Falun Gong. His torment included being force-fed high-concentration saltwater, stretched to his physical limits with chains, and subjected to continuous electric shocks to his genitals. These forms of torture are consistent with the experiences of many Falun Gong practitioners who have been imprisoned.

In November 2004, halfway through his eight-year sentence, Cheng swallowed a blunt nail and a rusty blade in a desperate attempt to protest his treatment. He was immediately rushed to a hospital, where prison guards demanded that he sign papers consenting to surgery. When he refused, six guards restrained him and sedated him.

Cheng regained consciousness three days later, shackled to a hospital bed with a 14-inch scar around the left side of his chest. Sixteen months later, he was taken back to the hospital under the pretext of needing high-risk surgery for swallowing another blade, which he hadn’t done. Fearing for his life, Cheng escaped when the guards fell asleep.

Cheng later discovered that he had narrowly escaped becoming a victim of China’s organ harvesting industry. The first whistleblowers who exposed this practice came forward just days after his escape. Since fleeing China, multiple medical experts in the U.S. and Taiwan have confirmed that parts of Cheng’s liver and lung were surgically removed.

The Chinese Regime’s Response

The Chinese regime’s response to Cheng’s revelations did not address the torture he endured. Instead, it focused on discrediting him by describing his recent press conference as taking place in a “low-ceilinged, cramped” room and denying the existence of forced organ harvesting, labeling it a “rumor” perpetuated by “Western anti-China forces.”

Despite these denials, human rights advocates argue that the regime’s response inadvertently confirms parts of Cheng’s story. Nina Shea, director of the Center for Religious Freedom at the Hudson Institute, pointed out that the regime’s article admitted Cheng was a prisoner, that he was sent to the hospital, and that the surgery took place, resulting in the scar he bears today.

“This really quite damning response … confirms that he was in fact a prisoner, he was in fact in a hospital, he was in fact subject to surgery without his consent,” Shea said. “It’s damning.”

Robert Destro, who helped facilitate Cheng’s escape to the U.S. when he was assistant secretary of state for democracy, human rights, and labor, echoed Shea’s sentiments. He noted that the regime’s specific response is unusual and may indicate that they consider the case serious enough to warrant a comment.

“As we lawyers would say, that’s an admission against interest,” Destro said, referring to the regime’s unintentional admission of involvement in Cheng’s imprisonment and surgery.

A Flawed Defense

The regime’s defense has also drawn criticism from medical experts. Torsten Trey, director of the medical ethics group Doctors Against Forced Organ Harvesting, questioned the logic behind the surgeries Cheng underwent. He noted that in cases where foreign objects are ingested, an endoscopy would typically be performed to retrieve them—a procedure that is common in China.

“Why would they remove part of the lung? Why would they remove part of the liver? It doesn’t make sense,” Trey said. He suggested that the hospital may have been experimenting or training doctors, as partial organ removal is highly unusual.

David Matas, a Canadian human rights lawyer who has investigated forced organ harvesting in China for years, dismissed the regime’s article as a “recirculation of their old propaganda” filled with inaccuracies and baseless character attacks on those who speak out against the CCP.

The Path Forward

Cheng, who still bears the physical and emotional scars from his ordeal, continues to advocate for international pressure on Beijing to allow independent investigations into Chinese prisons and hospitals. His story has gained the support of U.S. lawmakers, with Rep. Gus Bilirakis (R-Fla.) calling for more forceful actions from the United States against forced organ harvesting.

The Falun Gong Protection Act, passed by the U.S. House in June, aims to end the persecution of Falun Gong and impose sanctions on those involved in forced organ harvesting. With the Senate session drawing to a close, advocates hope the bill will pass there as well.

As the international community continues to scrutinize China’s human rights record, Cheng’s story stands as a stark reminder of the atrocities that continue to occur within the Chinese regime. Despite the regime’s attempts to discredit him, Cheng’s survival and courage to speak out have shed light on a dark chapter that Beijing can no longer easily deny.