Kuan Chien-chung, head of Lion Films, has faced alleged transnational repression by the Chinese Communist Party after bringing in the documentary State Organs, which exposes allegations surrounding the CCP’s forced organ harvesting. Taiwan’s Mainland Affairs Council has expressed concern over the case, saying it will support Kuan and firmly oppose transnational repression.
Taiwanese officials pledge support
On Oct. 5, Taiwan’s Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) and the Straits Exchange Foundation met with Kuan Chien-chung, head of Lion Films, to discuss reports of harassment following his distribution of State Organs, according to Newtalk. The meeting addressed the government’s concerns over the alleged malicious harassment, intimidation and threats he has faced after importing and promoting the documentary State Organs, while also seeking to understand his current situation and needs.
Liang Wen-chieh, deputy minister of the Mainland Affairs Council, said he appreciated Kuan’s courage in continuing to speak out despite the pressure he has faced. The government, he said, would not tolerate any form of coercion and remained committed to protecting the public’s freedom of speech and the pursuit of human-rights protections.
“Regardless of how powerful the pressure or threats may be, the government will stand with those involved, provide assistance to victims of transnational repression, and protect the personal safety and legitimate rights and interests of the public,” Liang said.
Kuan Chien-chung said the Chinese Communist Party’s intimidation and harassment were essentially a form of psychological warfare aimed at creating fear in society and producing a chilling effect. He stressed that people must maintain their psychological defenses and refuse to yield to coercion. He said many people had been deeply moved after watching the film and were willing to speak out bravely, calling on more people to see the movie and learn the facts.
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The Mainland Affairs Council stressed that the purpose of the CCP’s transnational and cross-border repression was not to intimidate just one individual, but to impose collective and indiscriminate intimidation and suppression. The government would not leave victims to face such pressure alone and would continue to stand with the public, firmly countering any coercive measures that infringe on people’s rights, freedoms and security.
Impersonation prompts police investigations
At an Oct. 1 news conference, Deputy MAC Minister Liang Wen-chieh described Kuan’s case as suspected transnational repression, Taiwan’s Central News Agency (CNA) reported. Authorities had not identified the impersonator, and the incidents remained under investigation.
Liang said that since State Organs began screening in various locations, Kuan had repeatedly received threatening letters warning that bombs would be planted. More recently, unidentified individuals have allegedly impersonated Kuan and made threatening phone calls to other people.
After the people who received the threats reported them to police, Kuan was required, following notifications from prosecutors, to appear for questioning in different parts of Taiwan. The Mainland Affairs Council said the purpose was to make him “run around dealing with one matter after another,” exhausting him through repeated appearances.
According to CNA, Liang Wen-chieh also said that in November last year, someone used Kuan Chien-chung’s phone number to threaten a lawyer and extort money, resulting in Kuan being summoned by police on suspicion of unlawful interference with personal freedom. Then, in December last year, someone threatened the Kuma Academy, prompting Kuan to again appear for questioning at the Taipei District Prosecutors Office. On Sept. 29 this year, another incident occurred in which someone allegedly used Kuan’s name to threaten the Taiwan Falun Dafa Association, leading him to once again report to a police station for questioning.
Liang said that with coordination from the Mainland Affairs Council, Kuan went to the police station in his residential area on Oct. 1 to file a report. The council will also coordinate with the National Police Agency and the Ministry of Justice to handle the related cases together, reducing the burden on Kuan.
State Organs is a 2024 Canadian political documentary directed by Peabody Award-winning Chinese-Canadian filmmaker Raymond Zhang. The film took seven years to research and produce. It focuses on allegations of a long-running, systematic and institutionalized state-organized forced organ-harvesting operation in China. The documentary tells the story of two Chinese families whose children mysteriously disappeared while in detention following the CCP’s crackdown on Falun Gong in 1999. Their families spent more than 20 years searching for them, gradually uncovering what the film portrays as a hidden state criminal operation.
Through extensive firsthand testimony, medical investigations and exclusive interviews, the documentary alleges that many of the early victims of forced organ transplantation were detained Falun Gong practitioners, with Uyghurs and political dissidents later also among the alleged victims. The film features recordings of telephone calls between international investigators and hospitals in various parts of China. It alleges that China’s organ-matching system offered organs “on demand” with waiting times that were unusually short by normal medical standards—sometimes only a week or even a few days—pointing to what the film describes as an illicit profit-driven network.
According to the official film website, State Organs received a Silver Remi Award at the Houston festival and qualified for consideration for the 2025 Academy Awards. The 2023 Leo Awards records confirm wins for best direction and best musical score in a feature-length documentary. Qualification is not an Oscar nomination.
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