Lawmakers Urge Rewards for Organ Harvesting Information in China, Falun Gong Practitioner Dies in Custody

Dear Reader,

On August 7, three prominent U.S. congressmen sent a letter to Secretary of State Marco Rubio, urging him to use existing State Department rewards programs to combat China’s state-backed forced organ harvesting. While the “Stop Forced Organ Harvesting Act” awaits Senate action, they call for immediate incentives for whistleblowers to expose perpetrators, noting no reward has ever been offered despite extensive evidence.

The lawmakers cite reports, including a 2022 study, showing Chinese surgeons have removed organs from prisoners not declared brain dead, targeting Uyghurs, Tibetans, Falun Gong practitioners, and others. Expanding the “Rewards for Justice” program to include reporting on organ harvesting could secure crucial testimony, prosecute traffickers, and pressure Beijing to reform.

Also in this issue:

• A Heilongjiang woman died in custody weeks after arrest for practicing Falun Gong.

• A New Zealand resident advocates for the release of her father detained in China for practicing Falun Gong.

• An Iraq war veteran credits the spiritual practice of Falun Dafa with helping him survive combat and recover from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD).

Finally, we’re pleased to share a video of an NTD interview with Cynthia Sun, senior researcher at the Falun Dafa Information Center, in which she discusses the ongoing persecution of Falun Gong and the enduring resilience of its practitioners.

FEATURE STORY

Three U.S. congressmen: Neal Dunn(L), John Moolenaar(M), and Christopher Smith(R)

What’s new? 

Last week, three U.S. congressmen——Christopher Smith, co-chair of the Congressional-Executive Commission on China, John Moolenaar, chair of the Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), and Neal Dunn, a medical doctor—sent a letter to Secretary of State Marco Rubio, urging the State Department to use its existing rewards programs to combat forced organ harvesting. They stressed: “With effective enforcement mechanisms, we can ensure that organ procurement is ethical and that no one profits illegally from the organs of Uyghurs, Tibetans, Falun Gong practitioners, or others who are unable to make a truly voluntary decision to donate.”

While the bipartisan “Stop Forced Oran Harvesting Act of 2025” awaits Senate action, the lawmakers are calling for immediate steps to incentivize whistleblowers and witnesses to come forward—especially with information about China’s state-backed organ trade. They note that no such reward has ever been offered despite extensive Congressional hearings and independent investigations documenting these abuses.

Why does it matter? 

The lawmakers’ letter is an attempt to take seriously organ harvesting in China and use all available policy tools to identify and punish perpetrators.Their letter stated, “the complicity of the Chinese government in forced organ harvesting targeting ethnic, linguistic, and religious minorities, as well as detained prisoners, is deeply troubling and should be considered a ‘crime against humanity.’”

Evidence—including a 2022 peer-reviewed study—indicates that Chinese surgeons have removed organs from prisoners who were not yet declared brain dead, violating international medical ethics. Reported victims include Falun Gong practitioners, and other detainees unable to consent. Using the rewards program could help secure crucial firsthand accounts to prosecute traffickers, deter future abuses, and pressure Beijing to reform its transplant system.

What else do you need to know?

The State Department’s rewards programs–with funding from Congress–currently target terrorism, as well as wildlife and narcotics trafficking in China. Expanding them to also cover organ harvesting (under provisions allowing use of the rewards to counter crimes against humanity) would set a precedent in U.S. human rights policy towards China. If implemented, rewards could prompt defectors, medical insiders, and other witnesses to expose the networks behind this trade—closing accountability gaps and elevating the issue internationally.

PERSECUTION IN CHINA

Ms. Wang Shuzhi, a 59-year-old resident of Jixi City, Heilongjiang Province, died in custody on July 19—less than two months after being arrested for practicing Falun Gong. Her death followed weeks of mistreatment, including force-feeding during a hunger strike, and came just two days after she was returned from a hospital to the Jixi City Detention Center. Arrested on May 22 during an intensified crackdown in Hengshan District, Ms. Wang was initially rejected by the detention center due to her poor health but was later admitted under police pressure. Her condition deteriorated rapidly, and she died at 3 a.m. on July 19.

Ms. Wang had endured repeated persecution since the CCP began its campaign against Falun Gong in 1999, facing multiple arrests, home raids, and forced labor. Her two sisters, also practitioners, were frequently targeted—one receiving a 19-month prison sentence in 2020 and the other imprisoned again just weeks before Ms. Wang’s death. Their elderly mother’s repeated petitions for their releases were ignored. Ms. Wang’s death is one of at least 15 Falun Gong persecution-related fatalities reported in July 2025 alone, reflecting the ongoing repression of practitioners across China.

FAMILY RESCUE

Echo Wang speaks at July 20 rally outside NZ parliament in Wellington.

Mr. Jian Wang, a 56-year-old resident of Taicang City, Jiangsu Province, has been held at the Taicang Detention Center for the past 10 months for practicing Falun Gong. On June 20, he was put on trial inside the detention center without a public hearing, and no verdict has been announced. Local police arrested him in August 2024 after he distributed a USB drive containing information about Falun Gong and he was reported to the authorities.

His daughter, Echo Wang, a New Zealand resident, is calling for his immediate release. Speaking at a July 20 rally in Wellington, New Zealand, she shared her family’s ordeal and urged that her father be set free alongside all those imprisoned in China for their faith. “Twenty years ago, I spent an afternoon with my father,” she began, “but not at a movie theater, not at a zoo, not sharing a bubble tea like any child might dream of. I was visiting him in a labor camp. He was imprisoned and tortured simply for his belief in Falun Gong.”

INSPIRATION ACCOUNT

The article relays the transformative journey of Iraq war veteran and Marine Larrison Manygoats. He recounts how the teachings of Falun Dafa and the small blue book Zhuan Falun, became his lifeline both on the battlefield and during his recovery from PTSD. Raised in a warrior tradition with a Diné or Navajo background and deployed in some of Iraq’s most dangerous zones, Mr. Manygoats attributes his survival and psychological healing to the spiritual strength he drew from the book. Upon returning home to a life of personal loss and trauma, he turned more deeply to Falun Dafa, which helped him recover physically and mentally when traditional treatments failed. He said, “They couldn’t believe how I recovered in such a short amount of time. That’s what Falun Dafa did for me.”

The Weaponizing Social Media report, released by the Falun Dafa Information Center one year ago, analyzed leaked documents from the Chinese Communist regime and revealed a strategic plan to escalate its global persecution of Falun Gong. The report detailed how the regime aimed to intensify propaganda, disinformation, and transnational repression—particularly targeting Falun Gong outside China, and especially in the United States.

Many of the CCP’s strategies outlined in the report have already been implemented, including mainstream U.S. media publishing articles portraying Falun Gong practitioners and their beliefs in a distorted light. In March, the social media platform X reportedly removed a network of bot accounts that had amplified such smear pieces while attacking Falun Gong and spreading negative narratives about Shen Yun, an American classical Chinese dance company founded by Falun Gong practitioners.

On July 21, Cynthia Sun, senior researcher at the Falun Dafa Information Center and fellow at the First Freedom Foundation, spoke with NTD about why the persecution of Falun Gong remains the CCP’s most catastrophic mistake—and how Falun Gong practitioners continue to peacefully resist, raise awareness, and defend human rights worldwide.

In the interview, Ms. Sun underscored the historic significance of Shen Yun Performing Arts joining the July 20 parade for the first time to mark the 26th anniversary of the persecution. Composed largely of Falun Gong practitioners, Shen Yun has long used art to spotlight human rights issues despite facing years of severe transnational repression, including death and bomb threats. Their public participation, she noted, sent a powerful message of resilience and faith—showing they are not only world-class performers but also steadfast advocates for truth.