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The CIPFG Canada held a press conference in Parliament on May 30, 2007 and issued a statement that "The Olympics and crimes against humanity cannot coexist in China," and "If a response to our requests is not received before August 8, 2007, we will join forces with supporters from around the world to call for a boycott of the Olympic Games 2008."
MP Borys Wrzesnewskyj: "It will be an incredible dark stain on the Chinese republic."
Rabbi Dr. Reuven P. Bulka, chairman of CIPFG Canada: "Speak up, open your mouth, do what you can."
Those in attendance included Chairman of CIPFG Canada Rabbi Dr. Reuven P. Bulka, former Secretary of State (Asia-Pacific) for Canada David Kilgour, MP Borys Wrzesnewskyj, former MP Simma Holt from Vancouver, and Dr. Torsten Trey, spokesperson for Doctors Against Organ Harvesting (DAOH).
MP Borys Wrzesnewskyj said, "These are tragedies on the scale and of the type we haven't seen since the Nazi regime. And the name of Dr. Mangele was invoked. How many doctors in China, how many health care practitioners, people that should be working to prevent death--are in fact involved in an industry of death."
He continued, "What's the value of a human life? It appears that the Chinese government has involved themselves in a process that has to put a dollar value to human parts, human organs. What a denigration of what a human being is. What is the true value of a soul lost? Of every one of those lives lost? Of the lives lost that could have been? You can't put a value on it. That's why there are so many people who are incredibly dedicated to this effort. I am hopeful, I am hopeful that before the August deadline, that the Chinese government will realize that this has to stop. It is not worth the millions and millions of dollars that the armies and hospitals are making. It will be an incredible dark stain on the Chinese republic and it will be in the history books. They can't cover this up. It will be written up. It would be much preferred that the history books note that the government put a stop to this death industry as opposed to allowing it to continue and to cover up."
The CIPFG has put forward three requests to the CCP authorities:
1. Stop the persecution of Falun Gong immediately and release all
practitioners incarcerated for their faith.
2. Stop the persecution of friends, supporters and defense lawyers of
Falun Gong
practitioners (Gao Zhisheng, Li Hong, etc.)
3. Hold discussions with the CIPFG to arrange details for the opening
of labor
camps, prisons, hospitals and related secretive facilities for
inspection by
CIPFG independent investigators.
Authors of the "Report into Allegations of Organ Harvesting of Falun Gong Practitioners in China" David Matas and David Kilgour praised the CIPFG's action.
Rabbi Dr. Reuven P. Bulka, chairman of CIPFG Canada, said, "I wish the situation didn't exist, but now that it exists, we have no choice but to stand up for this. If we don't stand up for this, and these atrocities continue to happen, we can't justify ourselves, and we can't explain to our kids how we were silent when this thing happened. So everything that is happening just says, 'Speak up, open your mouth, do what you can'."
The CIPFG referred to Article 3 of the Olympic Charter and stated, "Safeguarding human dignity is a fundamental goal of the Olympics. In order to win the right to host the 2008 Olympics, the Chinese regime promised IOC members back in 2001 to improve its human rights record. However, recent reports from the UN and Amnesty International have clearly indicated that human rights have actually been deteriorating in China of late, with the Olympics being used by the regime as a tool of repression. Particularly hard hit is the community of Falun Gong practitioners. Since the Communist regime began its full-scale crackdown on Falun Gong on July 20, 1999, 3036 deaths have been confirmed by overseas reports despite strict information blockades. UN Special Rapporteur Manfred Nowak reported in March 2007 that Falun Gong practitioners accounted for 66 percent of victims of alleged torture while in government custody."
"Since March 2006, witnesses have come forward alleging that the communist regime has built Nazi-style concentration camps to incarcerate Falun Gong practitioners. These camps house a large number of practitioners who have had their organs removed while they were still alive and their bodies cremated afterwards."
Former MP Simma Holt from Vancouver, "There is nothing to match what is happening in China, to take living bodies and sell them."
Former MP Simma Holt from Vancouver said, "I just want to say this, human rights, violation of human rights and genocide are just words. People don't realize that behind those words is a horror story, beyond anything that Dr. Mangele did during the Holocaust. He was the doctor of death. There is nothing to match what is happening in China, to take living bodies and sell them. As the new Kilgour-Matas report shows, they are financing the army with it. Army doctors are doing it. They wear their uniforms, and they are disappearing. We have no idea, it's up to 3000 that they know of, but there has to be thousands and thousands who have given their bodies and their lives, and sometimes all that is left is the bones which they cremate. And David Matas and David Kilgour found this story. This witness who was in the hospital. Her husband took 2000 corneas, they learned, in two years. They were still alive of course and other surgeons took other parts for sale, and they do the blood testing, according to the evidence, on these decent, healthy, normal, peaceful people that they criminalized."
MP Borys Wrzesnewskyj said, "As a member of parliament, I have certain capacities and resources at my disposal. One of those is proposing legislation. I will be working with members from other parties, members of parliament from other parties to put forward legislation that addresses this issue to make sure that no Canadians are in fact involved in this death industry that you have in China today... People are incredibly dedicated to make sure that this horror that's taking place in the Republic of China ceases. And we have the golden opportunity with the Olympics to highlight this issue and to convince the Chinese government that the time is now to put a stop to this horrific industry."
Dr. Torsten Trey said in the conference, "Organ harvesting practices violate the ethical standards that DAOH believes the medical community to uphold. The current situation is a cruel reminder of the 1936 Summer Olympics in Berlin, Germany, which served as a figurehead for the Nazi Party to both promote their ideology and simultaneously prepare for the Holocaust."
Dr. Torsten Trey
He continued, "DAOH believes that, given China's current human rights situation, to hold and promote the Olympic Games in Beijing in 2008 would be to the detriment of the true Olympic spirit. Medical doctors around the world must protest these severe medical crimes. Therefore, until the termination of the live organ harvest practices is verified, DAOH will join an international coalition to call for a boycott of the Olympic Games 2008."
Background
CIPFG is composed of more than 300 renowned international figures and there are four delegations, Australia, Asia, Europe and North America. Through investigation of allegations of the CCP's live organ removal for profit, CIPFG intends to expose the facts of the persecution, stop it, and bring those criminals to justice.
The director of CIPFG Australia is Andrew Bartlett, member of the
Federal
Parliament. The director of CIPFG Europe is Baroness Caroline Cox,
senior
Senator of the UK. The director of CIPFG Asia is Lai Ching-te, a
medical doctor
in Taiwan. The members of CIPFG North America include members of
Congress,
renowned scholars, doctors and lawyers.
On June 5, 2007, a forum and press conference entitled "Exposing Organ Harvesting in China" were held at the New York State Capitol in Albany, New York. Assemblymen Michael Benjamin and John McEneny hosted the forum. Canadian former State Secretary for Asia-Pacific David Kilgour and Dr. Wang Wenyi were the main speakers. A number of members of both the Senate and House of Representatives, and their assistants, and people from all circles attended the forum.
Assemblyman John McEneny hosts the forum
Assemblyman Michael Benjamin: The world needs paying attention to the human rights persecution in China.
Falun Gong practitioner Hu Haitao recounts his wife Chen Jing's experience of being forced to have a physical checkup and blood test in a forced labor camp in China
Audience listens carefully to the evidence about the CCP's harvesting organs from living Falun Gong practitioners
Undeniable Evidence--Chinese Communist Party Harvests Organs from Living Falun Gong Practitioners
Assemblyman John McEneny first stated the significance of the forum. He said that the New York State Government is very concerned about the organ transplant recipients, and that their families have the right to know the source of the organs. Mr. David Kilgour conducted an elaborate investigation regarding the source of these organs for transplants.
Assemblyman Michael Benjamin mentioned that he had been paying attention to the persecution of Falun Gong practitioners and live organ harvesting happening in China for the past few years. He said that more and more Americans go to China for organ transplants, the source of the organs is worrisome, and everyone knows that the CCP has been abusing prisoners and Falun Gong practitioners over the past years. Taking this opportunity to raise such a question at the forum, he hoped to raise people's awareness of the situation.
Former Canadian State Secretary for Asia-Pacific David Kilgour introduced the independent investigative report written by himself and renowned human rights lawyer David Matas regarding the CCP's harvesting of organs from living Falun Gong practitioners. Kilgour said that he respects the Chinese people very much. "China" is the Chinese people but not the CCP regime. The CCP has killed a large number of Falun Gong practitioners, and harvested their organs, and has committed unpardonable crimes. Falun Gong practitioners follow "Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance" to be good people, but they are arrested and incarcerated in prisons, forced to work for long hours, and forced to have their blood tested and have physical checkups. Within five years, through investigation, it has been concluded that at least 41,500 organs originated from Falun Gong practitioners. The independent investigative report provides 33 types of undeniable evidence. The CCP has not responded to these investigations, and moreover they announced that no more trade in organ transplants will be allowed after May 1, 2007. This act amounts to acknowledgment of the investigation.
Falun Gong Practitioners Are Specifically Given Physical Checkups and Blood Tests
Falun Gong practitioner Xu Haitao introduced to the attendees and the media the situation regarding his Falun Gong practitioner wife Chen Jing's experience of being persecuted, and being forced to have physical checkups and blood tests in China. During her illegal detention, Chen Jing was forced to have blood tests twice. On November 30, 2002, Chen Jing was transferred from the Zhuhai City No. 2 Detention Center to Shaoguan Prison in Guangdong Province. There were over ten people together with her who were transferred. Nine of them were Falun Gong practitioners (four of them were Tsinghua University students.) Only Falun Gong practitioners were forced to have physical checkups in prison hospital, and other criminals were not. The checkup included chest x-rays and blood tests. When asking the police why physical checkups were being performed, the police answered that it was a routine check. In April 2003, Chen Jing was transferred to Guangdong Province Women's Prison, and during the detention, she again was forced to have a chest x-ray and blood test.
On October 10, 2006, when Canadian independent investigation member Mr. David Matas held press conference and forum in Kuala Lumpur, the capital of Malaysia, introducing the investigative report on the CCP's harvesting of organs from living Falun Gong practitioners, Chen Jing attended and testified. This April, the Zhanjiang City 610 Office in Guangdong Province, where Chen Jing's family resides, sent some agents to Chen Jing's older brother's workplace, threatening that the 610 Office knows that Chen Jing is in Malaysia and that she testified regarding live organ harvesting. The agents asked Chenjing's brother to "break the relationship with her." They also asked him to send a message to Chen Jing, telling her to stop all similar activities, otherwise, "Some special agents may make a car accident or use other means to cause her to vaporize from the human world."
Calls for An End to Atrocities
At the press conference Dr. Wang Wenyi called on the New York State Government to help stop the atrocity. She hoped that everyone would read carefully the investigative report written by David Kilgour and David Matas, particularly taking note of the section about the source of organs in the report. Falun Gong practitioners who have been incarcerated on a large scale and suffering persecution are the source of these organs. As a professional medical worker, she called on the American government to be concerned about the persecution, and jointly stop the inhumane acts. She suggested that government departments suggest that doctors not encourage patients to go to China for organ transplants. The government could make a law prohibiting those agents or intermediators from introducing patients to China organ transplants.
Assemblyman Michael Benjamin said that sixty years ago, the Nazis in Germany killed the Jewish people. Today, people must learn a lesson from this event taking place sixty years ago, and avoid repeating the same thing. At present, China is rising as a super economic power, but the world needs to pay attention to China's human rights persecution. The CCP is playing a "double face" game. On the surface, what it displays is the economy, but in the dark recesses, it uses its centralized power to suppress its people. It attempts to control people, by using threats, intimidation, killing and illegal organ harvesting.
A member of the assembly asked if the World Health Organization has been aware of this. Mr. Kilgour answered that the World Health Organization raised this issue to the CCP regime three months ago, but the CCP denied it. Dr. Wang Wenyi said that even though the CCP denied this issue, the CCP has made several relevant laws, which shows that the CCP knows the existence of the issue. Another state assembly member said that this is an international issue, and asked what the New York State Government could do, so as to raise awareness of the media and people. Kilgour suggested the Health Department should find out how many New York people have been to China for organ transplants, so that people will learn how many organ suppliers related to New York State were murdered.
Senator James S. Alesi said that he has been thinking that organs for transplantation are from dead people, but has never realized that these organs are from living Falun Gong practitioners. He thought the most important thing right now would be to educate the medical field and all people to be concerned about this bloody atrocity of living organ harvesting. Any group, any organization in the international community should not encourage people to go to China for organ transplants. This is the worst thing happening in the world. He said he would try his best to stop such terrible things from going on.
Finally, assemblymen John McEneny said that he had just heard that American citizen Leejun Taylor's 73 year-old mother was arrested by National Security agents in Beijing China for practicing Falun Gong. He said that this is not only a matter of a Chinese citizen, but actually affects American citizens. Falun Gong has been persecuted in China for nearly eight years, and organ transplants involve huge lucrative interests. This is a very unfortunate large-scale event.
The forum attracted attention from several media outlets, including
the New
York Times, Times Union, FoxNews, and the Legislative
Gazette.
They conducted interviews and reports on the spot.