Written questions, answers and statements

China: Falun Gong

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Question for Foreign and Commonwealth Office

UIN 122578, tabled on 15 January 2018

Question

Patrick Grady
Scottish National Party
Glasgow North
Commons

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if he will respond to Early Day Motion 677 on the Falun Gong and harvesting organs.

Answer

Mark Field
Conservative
Cities of London and Westminster
Commons

Answered on

18 January 2018

We remain deeply concerned by and condemn all restrictions placed on freedom of religion or belief in China, including on practitioners of Falun Gong. At the UK/China Human Rights dialogue on 27 June 2017 we discussed our concerns about restrictions placed on Falun Gong practitioners with the Chinese authorities. Furthermore, at the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva in June 2017, the UK's statement highlighted our concerns about restrictions placed on religious freedoms in China.

The UK is concerned by any allegations that involuntary organ removal is taking place in China, and suggestions that minority and religious groups are being specifically targeted. However, it is our analysis that the evidence available to us, at this time, does not substantiate claims of systemic organ harvesting in China. We have raised this issue directly with the Chinese authorities and my officials continue to scrutinise new evidence on this issue.

Answered by

Foreign and Commonwealth Office
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