News Release   For Immediate Release
December 4, 2008

U.N. Recommendation Must Be Matched by Prompt Action to End Murder of Falun Gong for Their Organs
 
New York - In a legally  binding decision issued on Nov. 21, the United Nations Committee against  Torture called for an investigation into illicit organ harvesting from Falun  Gong practitioners. The statement was the latest in a long line of actions  taken by writers, lawyers, doctors, and government representatives to research  and condemn such abuses. The Falun   Dafa Information   Center urges the  international community to take immediate action to further investigate,  prevent, and end such crimes against humanity.

"The decision of the  U.N. Committee against Torture to raise this issue is incredibly important and  commendable, lending additional weight to the proposition that Falun Gong  prisoners of conscience have been killed so their organs could be sold for  profit," says Falun Gong spokesman Erping Zhang.

"It is clear that there  is a very real danger that this practice continues and may even escalate with  the Olympics having ended. It is vital for the international community to take concrete  and immediate steps to make sure this does not happen."

The FDIC urges the  international community-particularly state parties to the U.N. Convention  against Torture-to establish an independent, international commission to  investigate, monitor and recommend punishment for those involved in organ  harvesting in China,  including both Communist Party/state institutions as well as individual  perpetrators. Such a commission might also track the various measures that have  already been put in place by some national governments to ensure their citizens  are not complicit.

United Nations  Conclusions

In concluding  observations on China's  degree of adherence to the United Nations Convention against Torture, on Nov.  21 a U.N. committee of independent experts expressed concern over "information  received that Falun Gong practitioners have been extensively subjected to  torture and ill-treatment in prisons and that some of them have been used for  organ transplants."

The committee then made  the following recommendation, the most legally binding demand to date for the  Chinese authorities to investigate and punish those responsible for forced  organ harvesting from Falun Gong:

"The State party should  immediately conduct or commission an independent investigation of the claims  that some Falun Gong practitioners have been subjected to torture and used for  organ transplants and take measures, as appropriate, to ensure that those  responsible for such abuses are prosecuted and punished."

The committee's  conclusions follow on consistent inquiries transmitted to the Chinese  government since August 2006 by Manfred Nowak, the U.N. Special Rapporteur on  torture, and Ms. Asma Jahangir, the U.N. Special Rapporteur on religious  freedom, which have received unsatisfactory replies.

While commending the  U.N. Committee's strong stance on the issue, it is important to recognize the  near impossibility of a Chinese government-appointed body making a fair  assessment. This is due to the lack of an independent judiciary and the  entwined complicity of state entities in these abuses-particularly prisons,  labor camps, and military hospitals. Indeed, the current body of evidence  indicates it is precisely Communist Party/state entities coordinating organ  harvesting atrocities in China.

The FDIC therefore urges  the international community to establish its own commission to conduct both an  investigation into past abuses and ongoing monitoring of organ transplants in China.

International  Steps Taken Thus Far

The  allegations of systematic organ harvesting from Falun Gong practitioners in  Chinese custody first emerged in 2006, soon followed by an independent  investigation by Canadians David Kilour and David Matas, which concluded the  allegations were true (report <http://www.organharvestinvestigation.net/> ) . Since then, a number of governments,  international bodies, and members of the medical community have also found the  allegations credible and in some instances, taken action to ensure their own  citizens are not complicit in such abuses.

The  following are a sample of the steps taken, initiatives which should further be  expanded:

Conducting additional  independent investigations and analysis
 
Edward McMillan-Scott,       Vice-President of the European Parliament and rapporteur for the EU's European       Instrument for Democracy and Human Rights, traveled to China in May 2006 on a fact finding mission       to personally investigate the allegations of organ harvesting, and he has       several times condemned the organ harvesting from Falun Gong practitioners       in China.       (news <http://www.emcmillanscott.com/9.html> )
In March 2007, Dr. Tom       Treasure, writing in the Journal of the Royal Society of Medicine, found       the allegations credible, particularly in the context of the role doctors       played in the Holocaust. (See: "The Falun       Gong, organ transplantation, the holocaust, and ourselves <https://www.dafoh.org/Article_by_Dr.php> ")
In July 2008, a       special Israeli rabbinical council ruled that the Chinese regime has been       responsible for the killing of Falun Gong practitioners, perhaps because       of material benefits derived from organ harvesting. (news <http://www.faluninfo.net/article/750/?cid=84> )
In November 2008, The Weekly Standard magazine       featured a cover story on organ harvesting, authored by Ethan Gutmann,       adjunct fellow at the Foundation for the Defense of Democracies (full story <http://www.weeklystandard.com/Content/Public/Articles/000/000/015/824qbcjr.asp> ). The article described systematic and       suspicious medical testing of Falun Gong practitioners.
 

Taking  measures to stem the flow of foreign recipients traveling to China for  organs:
 
In August 2006, the       New York-based National Kidney Foundation issued a statement expressing deep       concerns over allegations that large numbers of Falun Gong practitioners       were being executed for the purposes of organ donation, as well as       opposition to such aa scheme and to organ transplant tourism generally. (statement <http://media.faluninfo.net/media/doc/2008/12/NKF_Statement_20060815.pdf> )
In early 2007, Israeli       health insurance carriers stopped sending patients to China for       transplants. (news <http://www.faluninfo.net/article/546/> )       This was in part related to an investigation in which Israeli authorities       arrested several men for tax evasion in connection with a company that       mediated transplants of Chinese prisoners' organs for Israelis. One of the       men had stated in an undercover interview that the organs came from       "people who oppose the regime, those sentenced to death and from prisoners       of the Falun Gong." (news <http://media.faluninfo.net/media/doc/2008/12/IsraelNews_Translation.pdf> )
In August 2007, Hou       Sheng-mao, the Director of Taiwan's Department of Health, reported       requesting Taiwanese doctors not recommend to their patients to travel to       mainland China       for transplants. (news <http://www.clearharmony.net/articles/200708/40828.html> )
In December 2007, a       petition signed by 140 Canadian physicians was presented to the House of       Commons urging the government to issue travel advisories warning people       that organ transplants in China       include the use of organs harvested from non-consenting donors such as       Falun Gong practitioners. (news <http://organharvestinvestigation.net/media/MedicalPost_031108.htm> )
In February 2008,       Canadian Member of Parliament  Borys Wrzesnewskyj introduced a bill       to stop Canadians from participating in obtaining human organs and body       parts from unwilling donors, including traveling to other countries to get       such organs. He stated that the urgency of the matter was highlighted by       the findings of the Kilgour-Matas report. (news <http://www.clearharmony.net/articles/200802/43361.html> )
 

Ceasing  academic training and cooperation with Chinese doctors on organ  transplantation:
 
In July 2006,       Associate Director of the Program in Human Rights and Medicine in the University of Minnesota,       Kirk C. Allison, PhD, MS released a statement reinforcing the findings of       the Kilgour-Matas report and calling for academia and medical circles stop       cooperation with China       on organ transplantation. (statement <http://www.organharvestinvestigation.net/events/Kirk_Allison_072406.pdf> )
In December 2006, the       Australian Health Ministry announced the abolition of training programs       for Chinese doctors in organ transplant techniques at the Prince Charles       and the Princess Alexandra Hospitals,       as well as banning joint research programs with China on organ       transplantation. (news <http://www.news.com.au/story/0,10117,20876865-1702,00.html?from=public_rss> )
 

Conducting  government hearings and raising the issue with the Chinese government
 
In September 2006, the       United States Congress held a hearing on organ harvesting from Falun Gong       practitioners. (transcript <http://commdocs.house.gov/committees/intlrel/hfa30146.000/hfa30146_0.htm> )
In September 2006, The       European Parliament adopted a resolution condemning the detention and       torture of Falun Gong practitioners, and expressing concern over reports       of organ harvesting (news <http://en.epochtimes.com/news/6-9-9/45824.html> );       the issue was also raised by direction of the EU troika leadership through       the Finnish Foreign Minister Tuomioja meeting bilaterally with China's Foreign Minister Li Zhaoxing at the       EU-China summit in Helsinki.       (news <http://www.david-kilgour.com/2006/Oct_2_2006_3.htm> )
In November 2006,       following a hearing on the topic, the Irish Parliament's Joint Committee       on Foreign Affairs wrote to the Minister of Foreign Affairs to request       that he raise the issue  with his Chinese counterparts and that it be       included in the EU-China dialogue on human rights.
 

News Release   For Immediate Release
December 4, 2008

U.N. Recommendation Must Be Matched by Prompt Action to End Murder of Falun Gong for Their Organs
 
New York - In a legally  binding decision issued on Nov. 21, the United Nations Committee against  Torture called for an investigation into illicit organ harvesting from Falun  Gong practitioners. The statement was the latest in a long line of actions  taken by writers, lawyers, doctors, and government representatives to research  and condemn such abuses. The Falun   Dafa Information   Center urges the  international community to take immediate action to further investigate,  prevent, and end such crimes against humanity.

"The decision of the  U.N. Committee against Torture to raise this issue is incredibly important and  commendable, lending additional weight to the proposition that Falun Gong  prisoners of conscience have been killed so their organs could be sold for  profit," says Falun Gong spokesman Erping Zhang.

"It is clear that there  is a very real danger that this practice continues and may even escalate with  the Olympics having ended. It is vital for the international community to take concrete  and immediate steps to make sure this does not happen."

The FDIC urges the  international community-particularly state parties to the U.N. Convention  against Torture-to establish an independent, international commission to  investigate, monitor and recommend punishment for those involved in organ  harvesting in China,  including both Communist Party/state institutions as well as individual  perpetrators. Such a commission might also track the various measures that have  already been put in place by some national governments to ensure their citizens  are not complicit.

United Nations  Conclusions

In concluding  observations on China's  degree of adherence to the United Nations Convention against Torture, on Nov.  21 a U.N. committee of independent experts expressed concern over "information  received that Falun Gong practitioners have been extensively subjected to  torture and ill-treatment in prisons and that some of them have been used for  organ transplants."

The committee then made  the following recommendation, the most legally binding demand to date for the  Chinese authorities to investigate and punish those responsible for forced  organ harvesting from Falun Gong:

"The State party should  immediately conduct or commission an independent investigation of the claims  that some Falun Gong practitioners have been subjected to torture and used for  organ transplants and take measures, as appropriate, to ensure that those  responsible for such abuses are prosecuted and punished."

The committee's  conclusions follow on consistent inquiries transmitted to the Chinese  government since August 2006 by Manfred Nowak, the U.N. Special Rapporteur on  torture, and Ms. Asma Jahangir, the U.N. Special Rapporteur on religious  freedom, which have received unsatisfactory replies.

While commending the  U.N. Committee's strong stance on the issue, it is important to recognize the  near impossibility of a Chinese government-appointed body making a fair  assessment. This is due to the lack of an independent judiciary and the  entwined complicity of state entities in these abuses-particularly prisons,  labor camps, and military hospitals. Indeed, the current body of evidence  indicates it is precisely Communist Party/state entities coordinating organ  harvesting atrocities in China.

The FDIC therefore urges  the international community to establish its own commission to conduct both an  investigation into past abuses and ongoing monitoring of organ transplants in China.

International  Steps Taken Thus Far

The  allegations of systematic organ harvesting from Falun Gong practitioners in  Chinese custody first emerged in 2006, soon followed by an independent  investigation by Canadians David Kilour and David Matas, which concluded the  allegations were true (report <http://www.organharvestinvestigation.net/> ) . Since then, a number of governments,  international bodies, and members of the medical community have also found the  allegations credible and in some instances, taken action to ensure their own  citizens are not complicit in such abuses.

The  following are a sample of the steps taken, initiatives which should further be  expanded:

Conducting additional  independent investigations and analysis
 
Edward McMillan-Scott,       Vice-President of the European Parliament and rapporteur for the EU's European       Instrument for Democracy and Human Rights, traveled to China in May 2006 on a fact finding mission       to personally investigate the allegations of organ harvesting, and he has       several times condemned the organ harvesting from Falun Gong practitioners       in China.       (news <http://www.emcmillanscott.com/9.html> )
In March 2007, Dr. Tom       Treasure, writing in the Journal of the Royal Society of Medicine, found       the allegations credible, particularly in the context of the role doctors       played in the Holocaust. (See: "The Falun       Gong, organ transplantation, the holocaust, and ourselves <https://www.dafoh.org/Article_by_Dr.php> ")
In July 2008, a       special Israeli rabbinical council ruled that the Chinese regime has been       responsible for the killing of Falun Gong practitioners, perhaps because       of material benefits derived from organ harvesting. (news <http://www.faluninfo.net/article/750/?cid=84> )
In November 2008, The Weekly Standard magazine       featured a cover story on organ harvesting, authored by Ethan Gutmann,       adjunct fellow at the Foundation for the Defense of Democracies (full story <http://www.weeklystandard.com/Content/Public/Articles/000/000/015/824qbcjr.asp> ). The article described systematic and       suspicious medical testing of Falun Gong practitioners.
 

Taking  measures to stem the flow of foreign recipients traveling to China for  organs:
 
In August 2006, the       New York-based National Kidney Foundation issued a statement expressing deep       concerns over allegations that large numbers of Falun Gong practitioners       were being executed for the purposes of organ donation, as well as       opposition to such aa scheme and to organ transplant tourism generally. (statement <http://media.faluninfo.net/media/doc/2008/12/NKF_Statement_20060815.pdf> )
In early 2007, Israeli       health insurance carriers stopped sending patients to China for       transplants. (news <http://www.faluninfo.net/article/546/> )       This was in part related to an investigation in which Israeli authorities       arrested several men for tax evasion in connection with a company that       mediated transplants of Chinese prisoners' organs for Israelis. One of the       men had stated in an undercover interview that the organs came from       "people who oppose the regime, those sentenced to death and from prisoners       of the Falun Gong." (news <http://media.faluninfo.net/media/doc/2008/12/IsraelNews_Translation.pdf> )
In August 2007, Hou       Sheng-mao, the Director of Taiwan's Department of Health, reported       requesting Taiwanese doctors not recommend to their patients to travel to       mainland China       for transplants. (news <http://www.clearharmony.net/articles/200708/40828.html> )
In December 2007, a       petition signed by 140 Canadian physicians was presented to the House of       Commons urging the government to issue travel advisories warning people       that organ transplants in China       include the use of organs harvested from non-consenting donors such as       Falun Gong practitioners. (news <http://organharvestinvestigation.net/media/MedicalPost_031108.htm> )
In February 2008,       Canadian Member of Parliament  Borys Wrzesnewskyj introduced a bill       to stop Canadians from participating in obtaining human organs and body       parts from unwilling donors, including traveling to other countries to get       such organs. He stated that the urgency of the matter was highlighted by       the findings of the Kilgour-Matas report. (news <http://www.clearharmony.net/articles/200802/43361.html> )
 

Ceasing  academic training and cooperation with Chinese doctors on organ  transplantation:
 
In July 2006,       Associate Director of the Program in Human Rights and Medicine in the University of Minnesota,       Kirk C. Allison, PhD, MS released a statement reinforcing the findings of       the Kilgour-Matas report and calling for academia and medical circles stop       cooperation with China       on organ transplantation. (statement <http://www.organharvestinvestigation.net/events/Kirk_Allison_072406.pdf> )
In December 2006, the       Australian Health Ministry announced the abolition of training programs       for Chinese doctors in organ transplant techniques at the Prince Charles       and the Princess Alexandra Hospitals,       as well as banning joint research programs with China on organ       transplantation. (news <http://www.news.com.au/story/0,10117,20876865-1702,00.html?from=public_rss> )
 

Conducting  government hearings and raising the issue with the Chinese government
 
In September 2006, the       United States Congress held a hearing on organ harvesting from Falun Gong       practitioners. (transcript <http://commdocs.house.gov/committees/intlrel/hfa30146.000/hfa30146_0.htm> )
In September 2006, The       European Parliament adopted a resolution condemning the detention and       torture of Falun Gong practitioners, and expressing concern over reports       of organ harvesting (news <http://en.epochtimes.com/news/6-9-9/45824.html> );       the issue was also raised by direction of the EU troika leadership through       the Finnish Foreign Minister Tuomioja meeting bilaterally with China's Foreign Minister Li Zhaoxing at the       EU-China summit in Helsinki.       (news <http://www.david-kilgour.com/2006/Oct_2_2006_3.htm> )
In November 2006,       following a hearing on the topic, the Irish Parliament's Joint Committee       on Foreign Affairs wrote to the Minister of Foreign Affairs to request       that he raise the issue  with his Chinese counterparts and that it be       included in the EU-China dialogue on human rights.