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86–005PDF 2014

URGING THE GOVERNMENT OF BURMA TO END THE PERSECUTION OF THE ROHINGYA PEOPLE AND RESPECT HUMAN

RIGHTS FOR ALL ETHNIC AND RELIGIOUS MINORITY GROUPS

WITHIN BURMA; AND EXPRESSING CONCERN OVER REPORTS

OF SYSTEMATIC, STATE-SANCTIONED ORGAN HARVESTING

FROM NON–CONSENTING PRISONERS OF CONSCIENCE IN THE

PEOPLE’S REPUBLIC OF CHINA

MARKUP

BEFORE THE

SUBCOMMITTEE ON ASIA AND THE PACIFIC

OF THE

COMMITTEE ON FOREIGN AFFAIRS 

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

ONE HUNDRED THIRTEENTH CONGRESS

FIRST SESSION

ON

H. Res. 418 and H. Res. 281

DECEMBER 11, 2013

Serial No. 113–89

Printed for the use of the Committee on Foreign Affairs

(

Available via the World Wide Web: http://www.foreignaffairs.house.gov/ or

http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/

(II)

COMMITTEE ON FOREIGN AFFAIRS 

EDWARD R. ROYCE, California, Chairman 

CHRISTOPHER H. SMITH, New Jersey 

ILEANA ROS-LEHTINEN, Florida 

DANA ROHRABACHER, California 

STEVE CHABOT, Ohio 

JOE WILSON, South Carolina 

MICHAEL T. MCCAUL, Texas 

TED POE, Texas 

MATT SALMON, Arizona 

TOM MARINO, Pennsylvania 

JEFF DUNCAN, South Carolina 

ADAM KINZINGER, Illinois 

MO BROOKS, Alabama 

TOM COTTON, Arkansas 

PAUL COOK, California 

GEORGE HOLDING, North Carolina 

RANDY K. WEBER SR., Texas 

SCOTT PERRY, Pennsylvania 

STEVE STOCKMAN, Texas 

RON DESANTIS, Florida 

TREY RADEL, Florida 

DOUG COLLINS, Georgia 

MARK MEADOWS, North Carolina 

TED S. YOHO, Florida 

LUKE MESSER, Indiana 

ELIOT L. ENGEL, New York 

ENI F.H. FALEOMAVAEGA, American 

Samoa 

BRAD SHERMAN, California 

GREGORY W. MEEKS, New York 

ALBIO SIRES, New Jersey 

GERALD E. CONNOLLY, Virginia 

THEODORE E. DEUTCH, Florida 

BRIAN HIGGINS, New York 

KAREN BASS, California 

WILLIAM KEATING, Massachusetts 

DAVID CICILLINE, Rhode Island 

ALAN GRAYSON, Florida 

JUAN VARGAS, California 

BRADLEY S. SCHNEIDER, Illinois 

JOSEPH P. KENNEDY III, Massachusetts 

AMI BERA, California 

ALAN S. LOWENTHAL, California 

GRACE MENG, New York 

LOIS FRANKEL, Florida 

TULSI GABBARD, Hawaii 

JOAQUIN CASTRO, Texas

AMY PORTER, Chief of Staff THOMAS SHEEHY, Staff Director

JASON STEINBAUM, Democratic Staff Director 

SUBCOMMITTEE ON ASIA AND THE PACIFIC

STEVE CHABOT, Ohio, Chairman 

DANA ROHRABACHER, California 

MATT SALMON, Arizona 

MO BROOKS, Alabama 

GEORGE HOLDING, North Carolina 

SCOTT PERRY, Pennsylvania 

DOUG COLLINS, Georgia 

LUKE MESSER, Indiana 

ENI F.H. FALEOMAVAEGA, American 

Samoa 

AMI BERA, California 

TULSI GABBARD, Hawaii 

BRAD SHERMAN, California 

GERALD E. CONNOLLY, Virginia 

WILLIAM KEATING, Massachusetts 

(III)

C O N T E N T S 

Page

Markup of 

H. Res. 418, Urging the Government of Burma to end the persecution of 

the Rohingya people and respect internationally recognized human rights 

for all ethnic and religious minority groups within Burma .............................. 2

Amendment in the nature of a substitute to H. Res. 281 offered by the 

Honorable Steve Chabot, a Representative in Congress from the State 

of Ohio, and chairman, Subcommittee on Asia and the Pacific .................... 13

H. Res. 281, Expressing concern over persistent and credible reports of systematic, state-sanctioned organ harvesting from non-consenting prisoners 

of conscience, in the People’s Republic of China, including from large numbers of Falun Gong practitioners imprisoned for their religious beliefs, 

and members of other religious and ethnic minority groups ............................ 6

APPENDIX 

Markup notice .......................................................................................................... 24

Markup minutes ...................................................................................................... 25

Markup summary .................................................................................................... 26

The Honorable Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, a Representative in Congress from the 

State of Florida: Prepared statement ................................................................. 27

(1)

URGING THE GOVERNMENT OF BURMA TO END THE PERSECUTION OF THE ROHINGYA PEOPLE AND RESPECT 

HUMAN RIGHTS FOR ALL ETHNIC AND RELIGIOUS MINORITY GROUPS WITHIN BURMA; AND EXPRESSING CONCERN 

OVER REPORTS OF SYSTEMATIC, STATE-SANCTIONED 

ORGAN HARVESTING FROM NON–CONSENTING PRISONERS 

OF CONSCIENCE IN THE PEOPLE’S REPUBLIC OF CHINA 

WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 11, 2013

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES,

SUBCOMMITTEE ON ASIA AND THE PACIFIC,

COMMITTEE ON FOREIGN AFFAIRS,

Washington, DC. 

The committee met, pursuant to notice, at 3 o’clock p.m., in room 

2172 Rayburn House Office Building, Hon. Steve Chabot (chairman 

of the subcommittee) presiding. 

Mr. CHABOT. The meeting will come to order. Pursuant to notice 

we have for markup two bipartisan resolutions. As your offices 

were notified on Monday, we intend to consider both of those measures, as well as one agreed amendment, en bloc. And so, without 

objection, the following measures are considered read and will be 

considered en bloc: H. Res. 418, Urging the Government of Burma 

to end the persecution of the Rohingya people; and H. Res. 281, Expressing concern over reports of organ harvesting from nonconsenting prisoners of conscience in the People’s Republic of China, 

and Chabot No. 34, an amendment in the nature of a substitute to 

H. Res. 281, which was provided to all members and posted online 

on Monday. 

[The information referred to follows:]

2


86005a-1.eps

IV 

113m CONGRESS H RES 418 Is'I SlcS810N It It 

lTrg'ing 1he GovenlllenL of Burma to end the perseeutioll o[ the Rohingya 

people and respeet internationally recog'li7.ed lluman rights for all etllnic 

and religious minority groups \\~thin Burma, 

IN THE HOUSE OF HEPHESENTATIVES 

NOVEMBER tR, 201;1 

Mr, :vrcGovl']H,N (for llimself, Mr, PrYl''', Mr, F'H,ANI(R of Arizona, and :vrr, 

SMITH of Nevv Jersey) submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Ji'oreign Affairs 

RESOLUTION 

Urging the Government of Burma to end the per:seeution 

of the Hohingya people and re:spect internationally reeognized human rights for all ethnic and religious minority 

groups within Burma. 

\\7herem, over 800,000 Hohingya ethnie minority live m 

Burma, mOiStly in the we:stern Hakhine :state; 

\,Vhereas currently, appro)..-imately 140,000 Rollingya are mtel"llally displac'ed if! C'errtral Rakhine state and hurldreds 

of thousands have fled to neighboring eountries, ineluding 

at lea:st 231,000 in Bangladesh, at least 15,000 in Malaysia, and many more in Thailand and Indone:sia; 

\\11ereaR the Burma Citizeu:ship Law of 1HH2 haR long excluded from approved ethniC' groups the Rohillgya people, 
3


86005a-2.eps

2 

despite many having lived in northern I{,akhine state for 

generations, and has thereby rendered Hohingyas stateless and vulnerable to e}qJloitation and abuse; 

vYhereas the Rohingya have historically e::qJerienced other 

particularized and severe legal, economic, and social discrimination, including restrictions on travel outside their 

village of residence, limitations on their access to higher 

education, and a prohibition from 'working aR civil servantR, inrluding aR doctors, nurses, or tearhers; 

"l1ereas authorities have also required Rohingya to obtain official permission for marriages and have singled out 

I{,ohingya in northern I{,akhine state for forced labor and 

arbitrary arreRts; 

'v1lereas the Government of Burma has forecfully rcloeated 

Rohingya into relief eamps, vvhere they laek deeent shelter, access to clean water, food, sanitation, health care, 

the ability to support themselves, or basic education for 

their children; 

vVhereas a two-ehild polley sandioned 801ely upon the 

Rohingya population in the di8triet8 of Maungdaw and 

Buthidaung in northern Rakhine 8tate re8triets the rig'lits 

of women and children, prevents children from obtaining 

Burmese citizenship, denies Hohingyas access to basic 

government services, and fosters discrimination against 

~Vlnslim women hy Buddhi:o;t nur:o;es and midwives; 

\\1lCrea8 the rnited State8 Department of State has regularly expressed since 1999 its particular concern for severe legal, economic, and social discrinllnation against 

Burma's Hohingya population in its Counhy Heport for 

Human Rights Practices; 
4


86005a-3.eps

q 

o 

vVhereas the level of persecution, including vvidespread arbitrary arrest. detention, and extortion of Hohingya and 

other :\'Iuslim communities, has dramatically increased 

over the past year and a half: 

vYhereas communal ~violence has affected both Muslims and 

Burma's majority Buddhist population, but has overwhelmingly targeted Burma's ethnic Muslim minorities, 

,vhich altogether comprise less than ;=, percent of Burma's 

populfltion; 

v~Yhereas violence targeting Rohingyas in Maungdaw and 

Sittwe in June and July of 2012 resulted in the deaths 

of at least 57 Muslims and the destruction of 1,33G 

Rohingyas homes; 

",Therears on Odober 23, 2012, at least 70 Rohingyars were 

killed, and the Yan Thei village of the Mrauk-l~ Tcnmship was destroyed: 

v\11ereas violence has also targeted Muslims not of Rohingya 

ethIlicity, iucluding' riots ill March 2013 ill the town of 

:1Ieiktila that resulted in the death of at least 43 Burmcrse Murslimrs, including 20 rstudentrs and rseveral teacherrs 

massaercd at an Islamie school, the burning of at least 

800 homes and 5 mosques, and the displacement of 

12,000 people; 

v\Thereas OIl October 1, 2013, riots iuvolving more than 700 

Buddhist", in Thandwe tuwnship resulted in the death of 

4 Kaman Muslim men and the stabbing death of a 94-

year-old :\'Iuslim woman; 

"'11ereas over '1,000 religious, public, and private Rohingytl 

structures have been destroyed; 
5


86005a-4.eps

4 

\\llereas Rohingyas have experienced and continue to experience further restrictions on their practice of Islam, culture, and language; and 

~nereas the violence against ethnic Muslim populations, including the Rohingya and other Muslim groups, is part 

of a larger troubling pattern of violence against other 

ethnic and religious minorities in Burma: ::--Jow, therefore, 

be it 

Resolved, That the House of Representatives2 (1) calls on the Government of Burma to end 

3 all forms of persecution and discrimination of the 

4 Rohil1Kya people and ensure respect for illternation5 ally recognized human rights for all ethnic and re1i6 g'ious minority gT(mps ~v\rithin Burma; and 

7 (2) calls on the rnited States G-overnment and 

8 the international community to put consistent pres9 sure on the Government of Burma to take all nec10 emmry memmres to end the perserution and discrimi11 nation of the Rohingya population and to protect the 

12 fundamental rights of all ethnic and religious minor13 ity groups in Bunna. 
6


86005b-1.eps

113m CONGRESS 

18'1' S1o:881OI\ H. RES. 281 

IV 

Expr~ssing COl1CC'rJl over persistC'l1t and rredibk reports of systematic, statcsanctioned organ harvesting' from nOll-conseuting prisoners of conscience, 

in the People's RepLlblic of China, iudLlding from large munbers of 

Falun Gong practitioners imprisoned for their religious beliefs, and members of other religious and ethnic minority groups. 

I1\ THE HOUSE OF REPR.ESE~TATIVES 

JU::-JE 27, 2018 

"\ls. Ros-LEHTINE:-.r 1 for ht'melf and lVIr. ANDREWS) snbrnitted the following 

t'esolution; which was referred to the Commit,ee on Foreign ~;IJ'rairs 

RESOLUTION 

E)q)ressing concern over persistent and credible reports of 

systematic, state-sanctioned organ harvesting from noneonsenting prisoners of eomwienee, in the People's Republic of China, including from large numbers of Falun 

Gong practitioners imprisolled for their religious beliefs, 

and members of other religious and ethnic millority 

groups, 

'\l'wreas when performed in accordance wi.th ethical standanls, the medieal ais(~ipline of organ transplantation IS 

one of the great aeilievements of modern medicine; 

\\ll81'eas the People's Republic of China performs more than 

10,000 organ t.ransplantations per year, yet. as of May 
7


86005b-2.eps

2 

201:1 it did not have an organized or effedive puhlic system of' organ donation or distribution; 

vv1tereus the organ transplantation system in China does not 

comply with the World Health Orgallizatioll's requireIJ:lent of transparency and traceability in organ procurement pathways, and the Government of the People's Republic of China has resisted independent scrutiny of the 

system; 

\Vhereas the Department of State Country Repol1 on Human 

I-tights for China for 2011 stated, "Overseas and domestie media and advoeaey groups continued to report installecs of orgall harvesting, partieularly from j11

aluH 

Gong practitioners and righurs"; 

vv1wreas due in part to traditional views on the importance 

of preserving the body intact after death, China has very 

low rates of voluntary organ donations; 

\Vhercas the People's Republic of China implemented regulations in 1B84 that permitted the harvesting of organs 

from exeeuted pri"oner,,; 

vVhereas in June 2001, Chinese doctor vYang Guoqi testified 

before the House of R,epresentatives International Rdations Subcommittee on International Organizations and 

Human Rights that hospitals worked in collusion vvith 

state security agencies to extract organs from executed 

prisoners without writtcll consellt of the 01'12'<111 donors, 

and that these transplants were a lucrative source of ineome; 

vVhereas former Vice-Minister of Health Huang Jiefu admitted puhlicly that more than BO percent of transplant organs extraeted from aeeeased donor" "temmed from executed prisoners in China; 
8


86005b-3.eps

vv11ereas voluntary and inforrrlPd eonsent is the preeondition 

for ethical organ donation and international medical organizations state that prisUlwrs, deprivt~d of their freedom, arc Hot ill the position to give free COllseHt and that 

the practice of sourcing organs from prisoners is a ,'iolation of ethical guidelines in medieine; 

~Whereas Falun Gong, a spiritual practice invoh'ing meditative 

"qigong" exercises and centered 011 the values of tmthfulHess, compassion, and tolcnmce, became immensely popular in the 1990s, with multiple estimates placing the 

number of praetitioners upwards of 70,000,000; 

Whereas in ,July 1999, the Chinese Communist Party 

launched an intensive, nationwide persecution designed to 

eradi(~ate the spiritual pradiee of Falun Gong, refledjng 

the party's long-standing intoleranc'e of large independent 

civil society groups; 

Whereas since 1999, hundreds of thousands of J;'alull Gong 

practitioners have been detained extra-legally in reeducation-through-Iabor eamps, detention eenters, and prison", 

where torture and abuse are routine; 

"11ereas in many detention facilities and labor camps, Falun 

Gong prisoners of eonseienet~ eomprise the majority of the 

pop"Luation, and have been said to receive the longest sentences and the worst treatment: 

Whereas in order to protect their families and associates, 

many Falun Gong prisoners of conscience refuse to proviae real names or other personally iaentif}'ing information to security agencies, thus making them more v"Lunerable to abuses; 
9


86005b-4.eps

4 

'Vl1ereas the number of organ transplant operations in China 

increased significantly after 1£199, corresponding: "vith the 

onset of the perseention of Falun Gong; 

Whereas this increase does not appear to be attributable Clther to an overall increase in the number of death row 

inmates or to an iucl'ease iu voluntar,Y dOllatio[ls, and ill 

fact, human rights groups and legal e:q)erts believe there 

has been a decrease ill the mnnber of executions in China 

ill recellt years; 

'Vhereas the Government of the People's Republic of China 

has failed to adequately ~we()unt for the sonrees of the excess organs; 

'v1'lereas Chinese hospitals have advertised wait times of 2 to 

4 weeks for kidney and liver transplants, and documented 

cases of scheduled heart transplantations with 3 weeks 

advanced notice; 

vVhereas because organs have a very limited sUt'vival period 

outside the body, such short wait times are best e)q)1ailled 

by the existen(~e of a large pool of living donors whose organs can be harvested on demand; 

\\l'181'eas interviews conducted with previously imprisoned 

Falun Gong practitioners suggest that, while in eustody, 

they ~were targeted for medical exams, including blood 

and urine tests, x-rays, ultra-sounds, and selective physical exams: 

\Vhereas the targeted nature of these exams suggestR they 

are intended to assess the health of the pnwtitioners' 

vital organs and their potential candidacy for organ harvesting; 

'vl1ereas other prisoner groups are generally not sul~ieeted to 

such medical tests; 
10


86005b-5.eps

\\11ereas Canadian researdwrs David Matas, hurmm rights 

attorney, and Dmid Kilgour, former Canadian Sec.retary 

of State for Asia-Pa(~ifi('., (;ondueted an investigation into 

allegations of organ harvesting from Ij'alun Gong prisoners of c.onsc.ienc.e in 200G, based on extensive cireumstantial evidenee, their report eoneluded that the allegations were true and that tens of thousands of Falun 

Gong practitioners may have been killed for their organs; 

\Vhereas ill 2006, doc.tors from 17 Chinese hospitals admitted 

in phone c.alls "ith underc.over investigators that they 

used or (~(mla ohtain vital organs of Falun Gong' pnsoners of cOllsc.ienc.e for trallsplallt, with some of the doc.-

tors implicating local courts and security agencies in the 

org'an proenrement pro(~ess: 

\Vhereas researc.her and journalist Ethan Gutmann estimates 

that approximately G5,OOO Falun Gong adherents may 

have been killed for their organs from 2000 to 2008, alld 

that a smaller number of other religious and ethnic llUnorities may also have been targett~d: 

\Vhereas Gutmann published findings that Chinese security 

agencies began harvesting organs from mernbers of the 

predominantly Muslim Uyghnr ethni(~ minority gTonp 111 

the 1990s, including from Uyghur political prisoners; 

\\llereas in May 2012, the World Organization to Investigate 

the Persecutioll of ]11alun GOllg (WOIPFG) released telephone transcripts and audio recordings of conversations 

hetwet~n nndermver investigat.ors and senior Chinese 

Communist Party officials, in which several officials indicated that central authorities were aware of or involved 

in organ harvesting from Falun Gong prisoners; 
11


86005b-6.eps

"11ereas among those irnplieated ~7\,ere former Politburo member Bo Xilai and his deputy, 'vVang Lijun: 

'v'vl1ereas the Unite a Kations Committee Against Torture and 

the Special Rapporteur on TOlture have expressed COHcern over the allegations of organ harvesting from Falun 

Gong prisoners, and have called 011 the GovenUlleut of 

the People's Republic of China to increase accountability 

alld transparency ill the organ transplant system and 

punish those responsible fOl' abuses; 

'Vhereas the killing of religious or political prisoners for the 

purpose of selling their organs for transplant is an egTegious amI intolerable violation of the fundamental right 

to life; 

'v'vlwreas the Department of Health in Taiwan urged doetors 

in Taiwan to discourage patients from undergoing commercial organ transplants in China; and 

Whereas ill September 2012, experts testified before the 

House of Representatives Foreign Affairs Committee that 

United States patients (~ontinue to travel to China for 

organ transplants and that the medical community continues cooperation and training ,yith Chinese colleag11es, 

ereating the risk that they may he in(liredly aiding abusive practices: Now, therefore, be it 

Resolved, That the House of Representatives2 (1) calls on the Govcrnmcnt of thc Pcople's Rc-

:3 public of China to immediately end the practice of 

4 organ harvesting from all prisoners, and parti('nlarly 

5 from Falun Gong prisoners of consciell(~e and mem6 bfTS of other religious and ethnie minority gTonps; 
12


86005b-7.eps

7 

(2) ealls for a full and transparent investigation 

2 by the United States Department of State into 

3 organ transplant pnwti(".es in the People's Republie 

4 of China, and for the prosecution of those foulld to 

5 have engaged in such unethical practices; 

6 (3) demands an immediate end to the 14-ycar 

7 persecution of the Falun Gong spiritual practice by 

8 the Communist Party of China, and the immediate 

9 release of all Falun Gong practitioners and other 

10 prisoners of conscience; 

11 reeomrnends that the United States State 

12 Department issue a travel warning for rnited States 

13 citi7.ens traveling to China for organ transplants in14 forming them that the organ source for their oper15 ation lllay be a prisoner of eonseienee; and 

16 (I)) reeomrnends that the United States Govern17 ment publicly condemn organ transplantation abuses 

18 in China and ban the entry of those \vho have par19 tieipated in illegal removal of human tissues and Ol"-

20 gans, prosecuting sueh individuals should they be 

21 found on United States soil. 
13


86005c-1.eps

AMENDMENT IN THE NATURE OF A SUBSTITUTE 

TO H. RES. 281 

OFFERED BY MR. CHABOT OF OHIO 

Strike the preamble and insert the following: 

,Vhereas when performed in aeeordanee w"ith ethieal stamJards, the medical discipline of organ transplantation IS 

one of the great adlievements of modern medi(~ine; 

,Vhereas despite an announcement by the Government of the 

People's Repuhli(~ of China in AUg11st, 20Li, to (~reate a 

nationvvide voluntary organ transplant system, the country continues to systematically rely on organs of executed 

prisons; 

Whereas in 2012, official government statistics show that 64 

percellt of organ transplants in China came from executed prisoners; 

,Vhereas the Government of the People's Republie of China 

continues to deny reports that many organs are taken 

w"ithout the COllsent of prisoners yet at the same time 

prevents independent verification of its transplant system; 

Whereas the China Organ Transplant Committee, the offieial 

organi~ation oven;eeing tram;plants, has yet to implement 

a timeline on ending the practiee of performing transplants with organs harvested from executed prisoners; 

Whereas the organ transplantation system in China docs not 

comply with the 'World Health Organization's require-
14


86005c-2.eps

2 

ment of transparency and traceability in organ procurement pathways; 

"Whereas voluntary and informed consent is the precondition 

for ethieal organ donation and international medieal organizations state that prisoners, deprived of their freedom, are not in the position to give free consent and that 

the practice of sourcing organs from prisoners is a violation of ethical guidelines in medicine; 

"Whereas the Department of State Country Report 011 Human 

Rights for China for 2012 stated, "Advocacy groups continued to report instanees of organ harvesting from prisoners " .; 

"Whereas the People's Republi(~ of China implemented regulations in 1984 that permitted the harvesting of organs 

from executed prisoners; 

"Whereas in June 2001, Chinese doctor Wang Guoqi testified 

before the HOllse of Representatives International Relations Subcommittee on International Organizations and 

Human Rights that hospitals worked in collusion with 

state security agencies to extract orgmls from executed 

prisoners without vvritten consent of the organ donors, 

and that these transplmlts were a lucrative source of income; 

"Whereas Falun Gong, a spiritual pra(~ti<:e involving meditative 

"qigong" exercises and centered on the values of truthfulness, eompassion, and tole ranee , heeame immensely popular in the 1990s; 

'Vhereas in .Tuly 1999, the Chinese Communist Party 

launched an intensive, natiomvide persecution designed to 

eradicate the spiritual practice of Falun Gong, reflecting 
15


86005c-3.eps

the party s long-standing intolerance of large independent 

(:i"vil Hoeiety gYOUpH; 

"Whereas since 1999, hundreds of thousands of Falun (}ong 

praetitionen; have been detained extra-legally in reedueation-through-labor camps, detention centers, and prisons, 

where torture and abuse are routine; 

Whereas in many detention facilities and labor camps, j11alun 

Gong prisoners of conscience comprise the majority of the 

population, and have beel1 said to receive the longest sentences and the worst treatment; 

'Vhereas in 200G, Canadian resean·hers David lV1atas, human 

rights attorney, and David Kilgour, former Canadian 

Seeretary of State for AHia-Paeifie, (~ondueted an independent investigation into allegations of organ harvesting 

from Falun Gong prisoners, concluded that reports of 

Falun Gong practitioners being killed for their organs 

was highly probable; 

Whereas researcher and journalist Ethan Gutmann estimates 

that approximately G5,000 Falun Gong adherents may 

have beel1 killed for their organs from 2000 to 2008, alld 

that a number of other religious and ethnic minorities 

may also have beel1 targeted; 

'Vhereas GutmmID published findings that Chinese security 

ageneieH began harveHting organH from memberH of the 

predominantly YIuslim lTyghur ethnic minority group m 

the Fl90s, inelwling from r yghur politieal prisoners; 

Whereas the United Nations Committee Against Torture and 

the Speeial Rapporteur on TOlture have expressed eOIlcern over the allegations of organ harvesting from j11

alun 

Gong prisoners, and have called on the Government of 

the People's Republic of China to increase accountability 
16


86005c-4.eps

4 

and transparency in the organ transplant system and 

punit:;h thot:;e ret:;pont:;ihle for abm;et:;; and 

"Whereas the killing of religious or political prisoners for the 

purpose of selling their organs for transplant is an egregious and intolerable violation of the fundamental right 

to life: Now, therefore, be it 

Strike all after the resolving clause and insert the 

follovving: 

That the House of Representatives1 (1) eallt:; on the Government of the People't:; Re2 public of China to immediately end the practice of 

3 organ harvesting from all prisoners; 

4 (2) demands an immediate end to the 14-year 

5 persecution of the Falun Gong spiritual practice by 

6 the Communist Party of China, and the immediate 

7 release of all Falun Gong practitioners and other 

8 prisoners of conscience; and 

9 (3) encourages the Lnited States medical com10 munity to help raise awareness of unethical organ 

11 transplant practices in China. 

Amend the title so at:; to read: "A ret:;olution eAl)ret:;t:;-

ing concern regarding persistent and credible reports of 

systematie organ harvesting from non-eonsenting prisoners of conscience, in the People's Hepublic of China, including from large numbers of Falun Gong practitioners, 
17


86005c-5.eps

5 

and members of other religious and ethnic minority 

groupt->." . 
18

Mr. CHABOT. I recognize myself to speak on the items being considered en bloc. We will try to get this in before votes which are 

to come up shortly. If votes happen, I will cut my statement off a 

little bit quicker and we can continue to move forward. I want to 

thank all members for being here. 

Over the past few months, this subcommittee has held two hearings to examine the ethnic unrest in Burma and the Obama administration’s policy toward that country. As we have learned, the political and social situation in Burma is extremely fragile and the 

civil unrest between Burma’s Buddhist majority and Muslim minority is threatening the progression of Burma’s future and political reforms. Of particular concern is the Government of Burma’s 

decades long persecution of the Rohingya Muslims in the Rakhine 

state. 

The Burmese Government labels the violence against the 

Rohingya Muslim minority as intercommunal, but it is in actuality 

much more than that. The United Nations’ special rapporteur on 

the situation of human rights in Burma describes the situation as 

a profound crisis and believes the Burmese Government has taken 

few, if any, steps to forge a peaceful, harmonious, and prosperous 

future for the Rahkine state. Since violence erupted in June 2012, 

882 Rohingya have been forcibly detained, but no state officials 

have been arrested in connection with the widespread violence and 

systematic human rights violations carried out by security forces. 

The government is complicit in extrajudicial killings, rape, arbitrary detention, torture, deaths in detention, and denial of due 

process and fair trial rights for the Rohingya. 

According to law, the Rohingya are rendered stateless because 

the Burmese Government considers them illegal immigrants, consequently denying them citizenship despite the fact they have been 

living in the Rakhine state for generations. As a result of this status, the Rohingya face legal, economic, and social restrictions. This 

includes restrictions on travel outside of their village of residence, 

limitations on their access to education, the ability to marry, the 

ability to have children, and access to livelihood, food, water, and 

sanitation, and healthcare. And their situation is only getting 

worse. 

Since the outbreak of violence against the Rohingya last year, 

the Burmese Government has forced people into relief camps so 

that it could confiscate their land, homes, and property for redistribution to the Buddhist Rakhine. The investigative commission 

convened by President Thein Sein to look into the causes of the 

June 12th violence did little more than recommend further segregation of the Rohingya, deploying more security personnel into 

the Rakhine state, and instituting a family planning program to reduce the growth rate of the Muslim population. Further exacerbating the situation, most Burmans classify the Rohingya as ‘‘Bengali Muslims’’ and would prefer they return to Bangladesh. However, Bangladesh does not accept the Rohingya population as Bengali and refuses them citizenship rights as well. 

While this violence has increased, so has pressure from the U.S. 

and the international community for the Burmese Government to 

address this serious problem, which some organizations have 

claimed is at an extremely high risk of genocide. Most recently, the 

19

U.N. and U.S. have called for an investigation of the Rohingya 

Muslims that are being trafficked by Thai officials into human trafficking rings and held hostage in camps near the Malaysian border 

until relatives pay ransoms to release them. Some have been beaten, while others have been killed. Nonetheless, the Burmese Government is purportedly doing little, but rather supporting Burma’s 

anti-Islam movement. 

H. Res 418 raises awareness of this on-going crisis in Burma and 

the need for its government to respect the human rights of all its 

ethnic and religious minority groups. It also highlights the need for 

the U.S. and international community to continue pressuring 

Burma to end its blatant persecution and discrimination of the 

Rohingya population. I believe this is an important resolution and 

I urge the subcommittee’s support in our consideration of this 

measure this afternoon. 

Next, I would like to express my support for H. Res. 281, which 

I have co-sponsored along with 160 other Members of Congress. 

The Government of the People’s Republic of China maintains one 

of the worst human rights records of any government in the entire 

world. Every year, thousands, if not tens of thousands of innocent 

Chinese people, are subject to arbitrary detention, torture, and persecution by security services. The Communist Party of China strictly controls every facet of political thought, public life, and personal 

expression. The Internet is monitored, mainstream media is coopted and only state-sanctioned religion can be practiced openly. 

Human rights abuses in China extend to every corner of the nation and every facet of society. In Tibet, the central government is 

in the midst of a wide-ranging crackdown aimed at breaking the 

will of the Tibetan people by depriving them of religion and important cultural traditions. The Uighur population in China faces constant pressure from the state and is no stranger to the types of persecution that is routinely employed by security services. Anyone 

who dares to speak out is immediately targeted and punished. 

The ill treatment of Falun Gong practitioners by the Government 

of China is well known and well documented. The Communist 

Party of China sees Falun Gong practitioners as an ideological 

threat to the Party’s existence. As a result, persecution of the 

Falun Gong is officially sanctioned. Practitioners have been arrested in large numbers, detained without trial until they renounce 

Falun Gong beliefs, and are victims of systematic torture. I could 

go on. However, despite the international attention given to this 

abuse, there appears to be no reduction in the severity or frequency 

of the abuse. 

H. Res. 281 focuses on the egregious treatment and human 

rights violations of Falun Gong practitioners by the Government of 

China. The resolution highlights the many credible reports of 

forced organ harvesting by state security services against prisoners 

of the state, including Falun Gong practitioners. I urge the subcommittee’s support of this important resolution. I now recognize 

the ranking member for his comment on today’s measures. 

Mr. BERA. Thank you, Chairman Chabot. I want to begin by first 

thanking you and Congressman Faleomavaega for your leadership 

and moving to markup on H. Res. 418 and H. Res. 281. The U.S. 

has a solemn duty both to lead by example and to work closely 

20

with the international community to protect and promote human 

rights worldwide. Therefore, I support both H. Res. 418 and H. Res. 

281. 

In the case of H. Res. 418, the Falun Gong community has been 

outlawed by the Chinese Government since 1999. Despite this action, practitioners continue to gather in secret. However, in 2010, 

the Chinese Government launched a 3-year campaign to transform 

Falun Gong adherence. As a result, Falun Gong followers constitute an estimated two thirds of all prisoners and detainees of 

conscience in China. We send a strong message that any deprivation of human rights is clearly unacceptable. 

In the case of H. Res. 281, as Burma transitions from autocratic 

rule to a country of democratic rule, we must continue to encourage 

democratic reforms to produce sustained human rights’ norms. Unfortunately, tension and conflict between the Buddhist majority 

and the minority Rohingya people and other ethnic and religious 

minority groups continues to increase in Burma. Targeted attacks 

at the hand of Burma’s Buddhist majority, along with increased instances of arbitrary arrests, detention, and extortion of Rohingya 

and other Muslim communities across the country is deplorable. 

We must stand for freedom of underprivileged communities around 

the world. That is what defines us as the world’s greatest democracy. 

Thank you again, Chairman Chabot for your leadership and support and I yield back. 

Mr. CHABOT. The gentleman’s time has expired. Thank you very 

much. The gentlelady from Florida, Ms. Ros-Lehtinen, the author 

of H. Res. 281, is recognized. 

Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN. Thank you so much, Mr. Chairman. Thank 

you so much, Dr. Bera, for leading this markup and allowing me 

to speak briefly on this important bipartisan resolution aimed at 

ending organ harvesting and religious persecution in China. Falun 

Gong, as you know, is a spiritual discipline that was first introduced in the early 1990s which combines exercise and meditation 

with philosophy. Its practitioners are peaceful, tolerant, and compassionate individuals who should be respected for their beliefs, not 

persecuted. And I have a longer opening statement, Mr. Chairman, 

that I would love to include in the record. 

Thank you so very much. 

Mr. CHABOT. Without objection, the gentlelady’s statement will 

be included as part of the record. I want to thank her for her leadership. 

The gentleman from California, the ranking member of the TNT 

Subcommittee, Mr. Sherman, is recognized for 5 minutes or whatever time he would like. 

Mr. SHERMAN. I commend the chairman and ranking member for 

bringing up these resolutions. I commend the gentlelady from Florida for introducing her resolution. Her opening statement was commendable and I agree with every word of it and I agree with almost 

all of the words of the resolution that has been submitted by the 

gentleman from Ohio as a substitute for the equally generally wonderful original resolution from the gentlelady from Florida. 

That being said, there is one provision here that will be a focus 

of attention should we adopt the resolution. It says that researcher 

21

and journalist Ethan Gutmann has estimated that some 65,000 

Falun Gong adherents ‘‘may have been killed for their organs from 

2000 through 20008.’’ I look forward to working with the gentlelady 

from Florida. I will not offer any amendment to the resolution here 

in the subcommittee. I think that we need to reach out to Amnesty 

International and other mainline, respected human rights groups 

to see if we can really support this rather specific. It is true that 

this one researcher has put it forward and that we are merely 

quoting his work, not stating that that is a number that we as a 

committee or as a Congress fully endorse. Still, a vision of 65,000 

people being executed solely for their organs is a rather vivid image 

and we may want to be less specific, less numerical, or more certain that the number is defendable by consulting with other experts in the field. And I look forward to working on this with the 

gentlelady and others as we move forward to the full committee. 

I yield back. Thank you. 

Mr. CHABOT. I thank the gentleman for his comments. The gentleman’s time has expired. 

Do any other members seek recognition? The gentleman from 

California, Mr. Rohrabacher is recognized. 

Mr. ROHRABACHER. I rise in support of the resolution. I would 

hope that my name could be added to the list of endorsers of the 

resolution. I, however, respectfully would disagree with my colleague who I almost always agree with, that in fact I think the bill 

should have been a little bit more specific. There are specific areas 

that were taken out of the bill and specific charges against the Chinese Government that we could have highlighted. But I think our 

job is not necessarily to highlight details in legislation, but instead 

to express our principle and our philosophy behind what we are 

doing. 

I think this legislation reflects the outrage in values of the American people and basically are the value that we place on human life 

and the outrage that we have that in China if not 65,000 specific 

people have been murdered for their organs, that there are large 

numbers of people, a lot of them, most of them, if not a lot of them, 

are associated with a religious group that does nothing more than 

encourages meditation and yoga and inner spirituality and these 

people have been brutalized and murdered and in many cases for 

the sake of making a profit off taking the organs from the dead 

body that the jailers have just executed. It doesn’t get more ghoulish than this. And we should not be hesitant about letting the 

world know about this monstrous crime, whether it was just 65,000 

people or whether it was 35,000 people. 

The fact that we do know that it is in the thousands of people 

who are being massacred in this way in order to sell organs to 

whom, to the American people and to others. We need to alert our 

fellow citizens that religious people are being murdered for their 

organs and Americans are dutily, is that the word I am looking for, 

dutifully are participating in economic exchanges buying organs for 

their families or for themselves, not realizing that those organs 

represent a crime against another human being. And this resolution is designed, as I say, I would have liked more specifics, but 

at least it alerts the American people that there is the Falun Gong 

and other religious believers are being murdered for their organs 

22

and we should not only condemn it, but should go out of our way 

to make sure that the United States is not in some way and American citizens are not some way encouraging this behavior by participating in the sale or purchase of organs from China for that reason. So I support the resolution and would have preferred a little 

bit more specifics. I will compromise with Brad and say I will support, we will both support the legislation. Thank you very much, 

Mr. Chairman. 

Mr. CHABOT. Thank you very much. The gentleman’s time has 

expired. Do any other members seek recognition? Hearing no further requests for recognition, the Chair moves that the subcommittee adopt the measures being considered en bloc. All those 

in favor, say aye. 

Those opposed, say no. 

In the opinion of the Chair, the ayes have it. The motion is approved and the en bloc measures are adopted. And so without objection, the following items are reported favorably to the full committee: H. Res. 418 and H. Res. 281, as amended by Chabot 34. 

I want to thank our members and staff for all their assistance 

and cooperation on today’s markup. If there is no further business 

to come before the subcommittee, we are adjourned. Thank you 

very much. 

[Whereupon, at 3:16 p.m., the subcommittee was adjourned.] 

(23)

A P P E N D I X 

MATERIAL SUBMITTED FOR THE RECORD

24

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86005n.eps

SlJBCOMMITTEE MARKlJP NOTICE 

COMMITTEE ON FOREIGN AFFAIRS 

U.S. HOUSE OF REPRESENTATiVES 

WASHINGTON, DC 20515-6128 

Subcommittee on Asia and the Pacific 

Steve Chabot (R-OH), Chairman 

December 4, 2013 

TO: MEMBERS OF THE COMMITTEE ON FOREIGN AFFAIRS 

You are respectfully requested to attend an OPEN meeting of the Subcommittee on Asia 

and the Pacific, to be held in Room 2172 of the Rayburn House Ot1ice Building (and available 

Ii ve on the Committee website at hl~~w\v.J.:.oreignAjTaU2JlOu~'\L@'yJ 

DATE: 

TIME: 

MARKUP OF: 

Wednesday, December 11, 2013 

3:00 p.m. 

H. Res. 418, Urging the Government of Bunna to end the persecution of 

the Rohingya people and respect internationally recognized human rights 

for all ethnic and religious minority groups within Bunna. 

H. Res. 281, Expressing concern over persistent and credible reports of 

systematic, state-sanctioned organ harvesting from non-consenting 

prisoners of conscience, in the People's Republic of China, including from 

large numbers of Falun Gong practitioners imprisoned for their religious 

beliefs, and members of other religious and ethnic minority groups. 

By Direction of the Chairman 
25

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86005m.eps

COMMITTEE ON FOREIGN AFFAIRS 

MINUTES OF SUBCOMMITTEE MARKUP 

MINUTES OF SUBCOMMITTEE ON _____ ~A"'s ... i""'a __ &"_'t"'h"_e"_P.:::ac""ifi'_"c=____ ______ MARKUP 

Day Wednesday Date ___ l",2=,-~"-11,,,1,,-1,,-3 ___ Room, ___ .::2=-17:...:2=-----__ 

Starting Time _:...:3-'.:,--OO,""""p"-',,,n __ Ending Time 3:35 pm 

Recesses [-=:I <-to __ ) <-to __ ) <-to __ ) <-to -----.J <-to -----.J <-to __ ) 

Presiding Member(s) 

Chairman Steve Chabot (R-OH) 

Check Ill! of tire following that apply: 

Open Session Ell Executive (closed) Session D Televised Ell Electronically Record~taped) Ell 

Stenograpbic Record Ell .. 

BILLS FOR MARKUP: (Include bill number(s) and title(s) oftegislalian) 

H. Res. 418 

H.Res.281 

COMMITTEE MEMBERS PRESENT: 

Rep. Ami Bera (D-CA), Rep. Dana Rohrabacher (R-CA), Rep. Mo Brooks (R-AL), Rep. George Holding 

(R-NC), Rep. Brad Sherman (D-CA), Rep. Ros-Lehtinen (R-FL) 

NON-COMMITTEE MEMBERS PRESENT: 

STATEMENTS FOR THE RECORD: (List any statements submittedfor the record) 

Opening Statement of Rep. Ros-Lehtinen 

ACTIONS TAKEN DURING THE MARKUP: (Attach copies oflegislalion and amendments) 

RECORDED VOTES TAKEN (FOR MARKUP): (Attach final vote tally sheet listing each member) 

Subject 

(Voice Vote) 

TIME SCHEDULED TO RECONVENE ___ _ 

or 

TIME ADJOURNED 'H511m 
26

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86005s.eps

12/11113 Subcommittee on Asia & the Pacific Markup Summary 

The Chair called up the following measures for consideration by the Subcommittee. By unanimous 

consent, the two measures and amendment (previously provided to Members of the Committee) were 

considered en bloc: 

1. H.Res 281 (Ros-Lehtinen), "Expressing concern over persistent and credible reports of 

systematic, state-sanctioned organ harvesting from non-consenting prisoners of conscience, in 

the People's Republic of China, including from large numbers of Falun Gong practitioners 

imprisoned for their religious beliefs, and members of other religious and ethnic minority 

groups." 

a. An Amendment in the Nature of a Substitute (Chabot 34) was offered to H. Res 281 

by Me. Chabot. 

2. HRes. 418 (McGovern), "H. Res. 418, Urging the Government of Burma to end persecution 

of the Rohingya people and respect internationally recognized human rights for all ethnic and 

religious minority groups with Burma." 

H Res. 281 (as amended), and H Res. 418 were agreed to by voice vote and were ordered favorably 

reported to the Full Committee by unanimous consent. 

The Subcommittee adjourned. 
27


86005d-1.eps

Chairman Ros-Lehtinen Remarks 

Asia Subcommittee Markup of H. Res. 281 

Wednesday, December 11,2013; 3 p.m. 2172 Rayburn 

Page 1 of 2 

I thank Chairman Chabot and Dr. Bera for leading this mark up and allowing me to 

speak on this important bipartisan resolution, aimed to end organ harvesting and 

religious persecution in China. 

Falun Gong is a spiritual discipline that was first introduced in the early 1990s, which 

combines exercise and meditation with philosophy. 

Its practitioners are peaceful, tolerant and compassionate individuals who should be 

respected for their beliefs, not persecuted. 

Yet in 1999, the Chinese Communist Party launched an intensive, nationwide 

persecution campaign against the Falun Gong. 

Since then, hundreds of thousands of Falun Gong practitioners have been illegally 

detained and placed into prisons and labor camps, where many have been tortured and 

targeted for organ harvesting. 

These horrible crimes against humanity must end, and they must end now. 

This is why I am proud to have introduced H. Res. 281, along with my colleague 

Congressman Andrews. 

This resolution calls for: 

o The immediate end to this horrid practice or organ harvesting from all prisoners 

of conscience, for a full and transparent investigation by the State Department, 

and for the persecution of those found to have engaged in such despicable 

practices; and 

o An immediate end to Beijing's 14-year persecution of the Falun Gong, with a 

recommendation that the Administration publicly condemn organ transplantation 

abuses in China and ban the entry of any individual who was involved in such 

practices. 

With 165 cosponsors, this legislation has received wide bipartisan support. 

This resolution lends a voice to the millions of Falun Gong followers in China who have 

no voice of their own; and speaks for the thousands who have died needlessly in the 

forced-labor camps for "re-education" and brainwashing. 

We know what goes on in those forced-labor camps and institutions; 
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86005d-2.eps

Page 2of2 

And we know about the perverse and immoral practice of harvesting organs from 

prisoners of conscience and any other non-acquiescing individual to the regime -

predominantly Falun Gong followers. 

This gruesome practice is an appalling violation to fundamental principles of life, and is 

not only in wanton disregard of any moral or ethical standard of human decency, but 

goes against the very rules of nature. 

It should be the position of the United States, and every other responsible nation, to 

condemn this practice and Beijing's oppression of the Falun Gong. 

Being a Cuban refugee myself who fled the cold, iron fist of communism, I believe the 

United States has a moral responsibility to be a voice for those that are oppressed and 

to push for the freedom to practice one's religion; 

It's quite fitting that yesterday was International Human Rights Day and we take a 

positive step forward today to stand up for human rights and equality for all across the 

globe, and we must call attention to the plight of those suffering under oppressive 

regimes. 

I therefore urge my friends and colleagues on this subcommittee to support this 

important resolution so that it we may one day see an end to this cruel and inhumane 

practice. 

Thank you.