Introduction

Since August 2025, major events within the illegal organ trade have taken place. The illegal organ trade is still active and taking place today, despite laws and regulations for organ transplants. Cases in Iran and the People’s Republic of China (PRC) show the present nature of organ trafficking. These cases showcase areas of necessary international action across the world.

Conflicts Over Organ Trafficking Between Iran and India

On November 8, 2025, Indian citizen Madhu Jayakumar was arrested in India by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) after coming back from Iran. The case against him began in 2024, when one of his associates was stopped at the Kochi airport in India on suspicion of being part of an organ-trafficking network. Results from the NIA’s investigation indicated that Jayakumar lured people into selling their organs. He used people who were impoverished and coerced them with the lie that it was legal to sell organs.

Human trafficking is illegal in Iran. However, Iran is one of the only countries where it is legal to sell kidneys for profit. Kidney donors can be paid anywhere from USD 1,200 to USD 4,500 for their kidneys, plus healthcare coverage. Payments can be made by the person receiving the organ or, if they cannot afford it, an Iranian charity. However, non-citizens are banned from participating.

Paid organ transplants have made it so Iran is one of the only countries in the world with no waiting list for kidney transplants. Not having a waitlist has benefits. In countries with long waitlists, patients can sometimes die waiting for their transplants. However, in Iran, since there is an incentive to donate, the number of donors is bigger than the number of people needing transplants.

On November 22, 2025, Iran suspended visa-free travel for Indian citizens in response to an increase in human trafficking and kidnappings in Iran. This means that citizens of India must apply for a visa to go to Iran. This is expected to lower human trafficking rates, as visitors are reviewed before coming and can be intercepted before being trafficked.

Organ trafficking in Iran is not a new issue. However, the end of 2025 was one of the first instances of direct international conflict over organ trafficking. Iran did not enforce international treaties on trafficking. Instead, it took direct action against a country of issue. This shows a gap in current enforcement structures. It also raises concerns about the extent to which countries can take direct action to fight organ trafficking.

Organ Trafficking in the People’s Republic of China

In November 2025, the Inter-Parliamentary Alliance on China (IPAC) met in Belgium. IPAC is an international network of legislators and policymakers from multiple countries, formed to coordinate responses to political, economic, and human rights issues related to the People’s Republic of China (PRC). Its members focus on topics such as trade practices, technology security, and human rights. After the meeting, IPAC released the Brussels Declaration, which condemned organ harvesting of minority groups in the PRC.

The condemnation follows many reports from within the PRC. The reports claim that the government in the PRC condones forced organ harvesting of minority groups. This includes Falun Gong, Uyghur, Tibetan, Muslim, and Christian peoples. The reports detail that prisoners from these groups are forced to be examined and then have their organs harvested. Prisoners who are not of these groups are allegedly not targeted. These allegations suggest that organs from these prisoners have been used to meet demand in China’s transplant system, but China strongly denies that any such forced organ harvesting occurs and asserts that all organ donations in the country are voluntary.

With the report, IPAC has put forward five measures to end illegal organ trafficking. The first measure bans people from receiving anonymous organ transplants. The second is expanding the medical institutions’ reporting systems. The third is to create national transplant lists. The fourth is stopping work with foreign organizations involved in organ trafficking. The fifth is to sanction all involved in the illegal organ trade. With the five measures, IPAC aims to set standards for medical groups worldwide.

While IPAC issued the Brussels Declaration, only the PRC can choose to enforce these measures. This raises the question of how effective action can be taken if governments are not compelled to stop illegal activity. There is much international action and cooperation that needs to happen to end the illegal organ trade. The large demand for organs and motivation around the illegal organ trade must be addressed.

Conclusion

Instead of remaining quiet, countries have begun to take direct action to combat the organ trade. Future solutions must consider the strength of enforcement mechanisms. They must also adapt to ensure that actions respond to various methods and mechanisms of trafficking.

Bibliography

1. Chaudhury, Dipanjan Roy. “Iran suspends visa-free entry for Indians following misuse by traffickers.” The Economic Times. November 18, 2025. https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/nri/visit/iran-suspends-visa-free-entry-for-indians-following-misuse-by-traffickers/articleshow/125418689.cms.
2. Hindustan Times. “Kerala man arrested for trafficking Indians to Iran in organ donation scam.” November 14, 2025. https://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/kerala-man-arrested-for-trafficking-indians-to-iran-in-organ-donation-scam-101763107655557.html.
3. IPAC. “Interparliamentary Alliance on China.” Accessed November 24, 2025. https://www.ipac.global/.
4. Major, Rupert. “Paying kidney donors: time to follow Iran?” McGill Journal of Medicine 11, no. 1 (2008): 67-69. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC2322914/.
5. Schall, John A. “A New Outlook on Compensated Kidney Donations.” American Association of Kidney Patients. May 2008. https://web.archive.org/web/20110927221324/http://www.aakp.org/aakp-library/Compensated-Donations/.
6. UN Human Rights Office. “China: UN human rights experts alarmed by ‘organ harvesting’ allegations.” Press release, June 14, 2021. https://www.ohchr.org/en/press-releases/2021/06/china-un-human-rights-experts-alarmed-organ-harvesting-allegations.
7. Vision Times “IPAC Brussels Summit Issues Strong Condemnation of China’s Organ Harvesting.” November 14, 2025 https://www.visiontimes.com/2025/11/14/ipac-brussels-summit-issues-strong-condemnation-of-chinas-organ-harvesting.html.