Dutch Member of the European Parliament Peter van Dalen (Christian Union) says that the issue of reported Chinese organ theft remains underexposed in the European Union. The EU must strongly condemn and expose Chinese organ theft.
Van Dalen (Christian Union) said on Wednesday at a conference held by the news portal EU Today on this topic: “I am working hard to get this issue back on the agenda of the European Parliament, starting with reopening this debate in the human rights committee.”
Just before the summer, a group of human rights activists expressed alarm over suspected organ theft among Chinese prisoners. At that time, Van Dalen said that “these reports about organ theft are an extremely disturbing matter and yet another serious human rights violation in China. We must definitely investigate whether these alarming reports are accurate and, if so, what steps the EU should then take.”
During the conference, Van Dalen stated that the problem of organ theft is twofold: “First and foremost, the forced and often deadly removal of organs is a blatant attack on human rights, regardless of who the victims are.
Additionally, the victims of this horrific practice are often prisoners who are already severely mistreated, given that they are imprisoned because of their religious or political beliefs.”
The Chinese Red Cross has nothing to do with the real Red Cross, the international organization, it is said. In China, it is an internal organization of the Communist Party, so they cooperate fully with whatever the Chinese government instructs them to do.
Van Dalen believes that human rights must be central in both diplomatic relations and trade with China. Furthermore, the EU—especially the EU member states themselves—should raise public awareness about this issue, particularly among medical and business professionals who encounter this problem.
“European medical professionals in particular must be aware of these risks when collaborating with Chinese colleagues,” Van Dalen said in a statement.