(Minghui.org) A screening of the award-winning documentary State Organs, exposing the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) forced organ harvesting of prisoners of conscience, was held at George Washington University on April 23, 2025. After the screening, a survivor of the CCP’s forced organ harvesting, Falun Gong practitioners who were tortured in labor camps, and medical representatives answered questions from the audience.

A screening of a documentary about the CCP’s forced organ harvesting was held at George Washington University on April 23, 2025.

Many people were shocked and angered by the Chinese regime’s crimes exposed in the documentary. They called on the international community to take action to stop the CCP’s 26-year-long genocidal persecution of Falun Gong practitioners.

It took seven years to produce the documentary. The film unveils one of the most evil crimes in modern times—the CCP’s forced organ harvesting of prisoners of conscience. The film documents two families’ search for their missing loved ones and firsthand testimony from military doctors, prison guards, and families of victims of forced organ harvesting. The documentary provides an opportunity for those who were silenced to speak out.

After the screening, Falun Gong practitioner Cheng Peiming displayed the 35 cm (13.8 inches) scar on his body that was caused by having a part of his liver and lung removed while he was imprisoned by the CCP.

He said he is living evidence of the CCP’s forced organ harvesting. “I thank the US Government and Robert Destro, former Assistant Secretary of State for Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor, for bringing me to America … I went through nine medical examinations and it was discovered that my liver as well as lung were partially removed without my consent.”

Since he publicly accused the CCP of this heinous crime, Mr. Cheng, who lives in New York State, has received many death threats, vandalism of his car, and his home was broken into. According to leaked documents, the CCP’s security department is planning to defame, bribe, and even kill Mr. Cheng.

After the screening, a Q&A session was held with the audience. At the bottom of the screen is Cheng Peiming, a survivor of the CCP’s forced organ harvesting; on the right side of the screen is Charles Lee, former researcher at Harvard Medical School. On the stage (from left to right), William Huang, former PhD candidate at TsingHua University who was imprisoned and tortured in China for practicing Falun Gong; Jessica Russo, Mental Health Adviser for Doctors Against Forced Organ Harvesting (DAFOH); and Jan Jekielek, a journalist and host of the show “American Thought Leaders.”

Q&A session after the screening

The Extent of the CCP’s Evil Is Beyond Imagination

Taiwanese singer Tank recently revealed that he underwent a simultaneous heart and liver transplant in China, and the surgery was a first in Asia. This sparked a hot debate on the source of organs in China, which has long been a subject of controversy. Ben Huang and Emily Chen (aliases, for anonymity), two students from Taiwan studying at the business school at George Washington University, came to the screening with questions after following the recent reports on Tank’s experience.

Emily hopes more Chinese people can watch the documentary. “I have heard of illegal organ transplants all along,” she said. “I heard of the persecution suffered by those who practice Falun Gong. I thought this film reflected individual cases truthfully and confirmed that the persecution is happening. Family members of the victim, particularly Yun’s father, her family’s testimonials and the scene in which a doctor testified that he witnessed live organ harvesting—are rather stunning.”

Ben said his uncle was diagnosed with liver cancer about 15 years ago. He could not get a liver transplant in Taiwan, but quickly found a matching organ in China and underwent a successful surgery.

He said large-scale, state-sanctioned organ harvesting cannot happen in a democratic country like Taiwan. The extent of the CCP’s immorality is beyond imagination.

Political Experts in Washington Condemn the CCP’s Crimes of Organ Harvesting

Steven J. Allen, a researcher at the Capital Research Center, has 45 years of experience in journalism. He previously served as a senior researcher for Newt Gingrich’s presidential campaign.

Steven J Allen, a distinguished researcher and journalist, accepted an interview after the screening.

After watching the film, Mr. Allen said, “I’ve researched this before, so it really confirmed what I’ve read and what I’ve learned. It’s, you know, just one of the great cosmic evils that’s happening in our world today. But I can tell you that not many people have [heard about it]. I’ve tried to talk to people about it, and there’s almost a disbelief, it’s like so awful. People can’t believe it’s true, or they’ll go, ‘Well, gosh, if that were true, I’d be hearing about it.’ And so that’s why it’s important to get the word out after watching the film tonight.

“I’ve tried to explain to people that there is a force in the world today that’s comparable to the Nazis. And of course, people often make that comparison, but there really is. And that’s what we’re seeing in China, unfortunately. And the Chinese people are just suffering under a horrible regime, and people need to know about that.”

He said he will encourage others to see the documentary as well as sign the petition urging the United States Congress to pass the bill known as the “Falun Gong Protection Act.”

Mr. Allen said the US government needs to classify this as genocide as soon as possible. “Certainly this is a case of genocide, targeting a group for its religious beliefs and treating them horribly and basically trying to wipe them out,” he said.

He suggested that the US can impose sanctions on the Chinese government for crimes of organ harvesting and restrict insurance companies from reimbursing organ transplants obtained from China. “This way, you can have investigations that expose these things more. There have been hearings in Congress. There need to be more resolutions that bring this to people’s attention and various ways to put pressure on the Chinese government to change its practices, and get other countries to take action so that the world is involved in that great cause.”

Todd C. Wiggins, who works in video marketing in Washington, D.C., said he was shocked after watching the film. He feels that the CCP is even more autocratic and brutal than he had thought.

Todd C. Wiggins said the CCP was even more autocratic and brutal than he thought.

“It’s unfortunate that things like this have happened in the world,” he said. “I don’t understand how the government in China works because I’m not a Chinese citizen, but it’s hard to imagine that this is possibly still going on.”

Take Action to End Organ Harvesting

Logan Blakeslee, an intern in a US Senator’s office who researches voter relationships, said, “The film is very emotional. It was very interesting to hear about the father who spent so much time looking for his child and that made me very sad. One day, I would like to start a family and if something like that happened to my son or my daughter, I’d be so devastated. So the film makes me want to help and make sure that can never happen to anyone else. It should never happen.”

He also hopes that one day China can become a free country, where people don’t have to be afraid of following a religious belief or independent thinking. He believes people should take action to end organ harvesting.

Jessica Russo, a mental health adviser for Doctors Against Forced Organ Harvesting (DAFOH) and clinical psychologist from Philadelphia, said she believes that the whole world is awakening to the CCP’s crime of forced organ harvesting.

Jessica Russo, a mental health adviser for DAFOH, said people should realize the importance to humanity of stopping the CCP’s massacre of Falun Gong practitioners.

The Falun Gong Protection Act

Scott Perry, Republican Congressman for Pennsylvania, and Ted Cruz, Republican Senator for Texas, introduced the Falun Gong Protection Act on February 24 and March 3, 2025 respectively. This bill will be the first binding commitment by Congress in imposing sanctions on those who take part in or promote organ harvesting. It will also direct the Secretary of State, in consultation with the Secretary of Health and Human Services and the Director of the National Institutes of Health, to determine whether the CCP’s persecution of Falun Gong constitutes an “atrocity” (as such term is defined in section 6 of the Elie Wiesel Genocide and Atrocities Prevention Act of 2018).