The Cost of Silence: When Humans Are Treated as Spare Parts

Imagine a world where the government treats human beings as spare parts. 

Organs are harvested. Lives are destroyed. People vanish. 

And all of it happens under a veil of silence. Perhaps one of the most sinister reasons for this was recently—and unintentionally—brought to light.

On September 3, 2025, Presidents Vladimir Putin and Xi Jinping were caught on a hot mic casually discussing living to 150—or even achieving immortality—through continuous organ transplants. Broadcast live and swiftly censored in China, their words reveal a chilling reality: this is not science fiction—it is happening today.

The Backstory

For more than two decades, Falun Gong practitioners in China have faced relentless persecution. Falun Gong, also known as Falun Dafa, is a spiritual practice that teaches practitioners to live by the principles of truthfulness, compassion, and forbearance and includes five gentle exercises that promote health and well-being. When the practice rapidly grew to an estimated 70-100 million in the late 1990s, the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) perceived it as a threat to its control. As a result, on July 20, 1999, the CCP launched a nationwide campaign to eradicate Falun Gong, labeling practitioners as criminals and sending what is believed to be hundreds of thousands to prisons, labor camps, and “re-education” centers. Practitioners have been subjected to imprisonment, torture, forced labor, and systematic abuse, with many dying under suspicious circumstances.

Investigations, including those by the independent London-based China Tribunal, confirmed another nearly unimaginable atrocity: the CCP is systematically harvesting organs from prisoners of conscience, effectively using them as living organ banks—an act that results in the victims’ deaths. The China Tribunal investigation revealed that largest group of victims are Falun Gong practitioners, with transplant wait times in China shockingly short, often measured in days or weeks, rather than months or years—a stark contrast to legitimate medical systems.

Further evidence continues to emerge. The sudden death of senior Chinese official Gao Zhanxiang unexpectedly drew attention when a colleague revealed that Gao had “replaced many organs in his body” before passing away and once joked that “many components are not his own anymore.” The revelation fueled widespread speculation about how top CCP officials can so readily obtain multiple matching organs and aligns with growing international concerns: despite China’s claims of using only voluntary donors since 2015, investigations—including undercover calls to Chinese hospitals—have shown that organs can often be sourced within days, suggesting access to a vast pool of unwilling “donors.”

In light of these concerns, the Association of American Physicians and Surgeons (AAPS) issued a strong position statement in July 2023, condemning the CCP’s practices, warning that China’s transplant system is “built on state-sponsored forced organ harvesting,” and urging global action to end participation in—or facilitation of—these abuses.

One of the most harrowing testimonies comes from Cheng Peiming, the first and only known survivor of China’s state-sanctioned forced organ harvesting. In 2004, while imprisoned for his faith, Cheng was forcibly anesthetized and underwent surgery without his consent. He did not realize what had been done to him until after he escaped China, when medical examinations revealed that parts of his liver and lung had been removed. A scar approximately 14 inches long on his left side bears silent witness to this atrocity. Cheng’s account has brought international attention to this grave human rights violation, exposing a practice the CCP has repeatedly tried to conceal.

The Long Arm of the CCP

While China may seem distant, its campaign to eradicate Falun Gong—and to conceal its crimes—has extended onto American soil. transnational repression has intensified at an alarming pace, reaching into the United States through intimidation, disinformation, and influence operations. Practitioners who fled China seeking safety have instead faced smears, slander, threats, and harassment here in America. Shen Yun Performing Arts, founded by Falun Gong practitioners who escaped persecution, has been among the most visible targets of this campaign.

While many actions may not be directly initiated by CCP officials, investigations have exposed their coordination through agents, proxies, or United Front organizations working on behalf of Beijing's interests. Frivolous lawsuits filed against Shen Yun's home base in Dragon Springs, for example, have been repeatedly brought by groups with ties to mainland China and have matched patterns known as legal warfare—a CCP tactic designed to burden critics with costly and distracting litigation. Federal judges have dismissed these suits as “groundless” and “riddled with deficiencies,” but the persistent nature and similar approach in multiple cases suggest strategic coordination with Chinese regime objectives.

In another case, individuals acting as illegal agents of the Chinese government attempted to bribe an undercover FBI agent, believing him to be an IRS official, to have Shen Yun’s nonprofit tax status revoked—an effort directly linked to CCP’s campaign targeting U.S.-based dissident organizations. U.S. courts have confirmed the CCP connections and sentenced those involved.

Bomb threats have also been issued at Shen Yun performance venues—including the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C.—with the intent to intimidate theater managers and audiences. Authorities and advocates attribute these threats to a larger, pattern-based campaign linked to CCP transnational repression, aiming to silence and discourage open support for Falun Gong in America.

Various forms of media smear campaigns and violent attacks against Falun Gong practitioners in communities such as Flushing, New York, are part of a well-documented, coordinated strategy of transnational repression attributed to the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). These operations employ CCP proxies, incitement via state-run propaganda, and physical intimidation, all with the aim of silencing practitioners and deterring their efforts to expose the persecution. These acts are not limited to the United States. Physical assaults, vandalism, surveillance, and intimidation against practitioners have been documented in Canada, Australia, and Argentina, among other countries, part of the the campaign to suppress Falun Gong in a global initiative extending far beyond China’s borders, and targeting practitioners wherever they seek refuge.

The ongoing threats and acts of violence confronting Falun Gong practitioners in communities worldwide continually underscore the need for vigilance and for holding the CCP and its proxies accountable. International advocacy organizations and legislative bodies have echoed the call to investigate, prosecute, and sanction those responsible for such acts, ensuring the right to free speech and protection from transnational repression.

Legislative Action

In response to the ongoing persecution and widespread human rights violations, legislation was introduced in the U.S. Congress earlier this year to help confront and address these atrocities.

A bill entitled the Falun Gong Protection Act passed the House of Representatives (H.R.1540) in early 2025. The Senate version of this bill (S.817) was then introduced in March 2025, where it currently awaits additional co-sponsorship so that it can be brought forward for a vote. This bill would impose sanctions and restrict U.S. cooperation with CCP-controlled transplant programs, protecting Falun Gong practitioners and potentially extending protections to other persecuted groups in China, such as Uyghurs, Tibetans, and House Christians. The legislation also calls for increased transparency and reporting on China’s transplant industry, aiming to curb these inhumane practices. However, the bill requires bipartisan support to advance.

While it may seem like someone else’s problem—a perspective the CCP counts on the world to maintain—its crimes have grown ever bolder and more widespread as they have gone unchecked. Some have been aware of these atrocities yet turned a blind eye in the name of personal gain. Others have viewed them with indifference, or found the reports too horrifying to face, or too unfathomable to believe. Still others have been deceived by—or have chosen to accept—the lies spread by a ruthless communist regime, rather than listen to those who are being persecuted by it. Perhaps one day, the people of the world will look back and ask: How could such a thing have happened?

As one human being to another, don’t we have a responsibility learn the truth and act from where we are? Imagine, for a moment, if it were you—or your mother, your son, or your husband or wife—being imprisoned, tortured, or even killed, simply for your beliefs. Imagine enduring such suffering while the world was fed lies and the truth was deliberately silenced. 

The hot mic moment revealed more than careless words—it exposed a chilling truth the CCP desperately tries to hide: innocent people are being killed for their organs, fueling a brutal transplant industry that benefits not only CCP officials, but also wealthy individuals around the world. And if history has taught us anything, it is that ignoring crimes against humanity only allows them to flourish. Some have even described the persecution as a genocide—a chilling echo of humanity’s darkest chapters and a stark warning of what happens when the world turns away and remains silent. 

How You Can Help

So what can you do? You may be thinking, “I’m just one person—what difference can I possibly make?” While it may seem like a small action, there’s something you can do: raise your voice—because every voice matters.

You can stand on the side of justice by calling and emailing your senators today to urge them to cosponsor, and then vote to pass, the Falun Gong Protection Act (S.817). You can find your senators here and also sign the petition in support of this bill; but the most effective action you can take is to contact your senators directly—and encourage your friends and family to do the same.

This is more than just policy—it is about conscience. Supporting this legislation sends a resounding message: the United States will not remain silent while innocent men, women, and children are persecuted, their bodies treated as commodities, and their most basic human rights stripped away. Those responsible for these crimes must be held accountable.

History has taught us painful lessons about the cost of indifference. Too often, atrocities were met with silence, and silence became complicity. In the face of injustice, our humanity calls us to act—to speak for those who cannot speak for themselves, to protect the vulnerable, and to defend the freedom of those who simply strive to live as good people with integrity and compassion.

Your voice matters. Your call, your email, can make a difference. Together, we can help ensure that justice, once again, finds its place in history.

As the ancient Chinese proverb teaches, “善有善报，恶有恶报” (“Good deeds will be rewarded, evil deeds punished”). Even in the face of cruelty, acts of courage, compassion, and justice will ultimately matter—and history will remember those who stood on the side of righteousness.

To Learn More About Falun Dafa or the Persecution Taking Place, Visit:  FalunInfo.net, FalunDafa.org, or LearnFalunDafa.org