(Clearwisdom.net) On the morning of September 11, 2007, the Coalition to Investigate the Persecution of Falun Gong (CIPFG) held a press conference in Wellington, the capital city of New Zealand. Speakers at the press conference revealed the latest evidence that supports the allegations of organ harvesting from living Falun Gong practitioners in China for the transplant trade.
The Hon. David Kilgour announces the list of evidence incorporated in the "Bloody Harvest" Updated Report into Allegations of Organ Harvesting of Falun Gong Practitioners in China
Press conference
Speakers attending the press conference included former Canadian Secretary of State (Asia-Pacific), the Hon. David Kilgour, well-known international human rights lawyer David Matas, the New Zealand branch of CIPFG spokesperson and lawyer Carole Curtis, member of CIPFG and New Zealand human rights lawyer Richard MacLeod, social science academic and Auckland-based Councilor Dr. Catherine Casey, and a victim of the persecution of Falun Gong in China, Mr. Guohua Huang.
David Matas told the media of the meeting he and Mr. Kilgour had with the New Zealand Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade, hoping to call on the New Zealand government to take action to put an end to the Chinese Communist Party's (CCP) persecution of Falun Gong, including the harvesting and trade of living Falun Gong practitioners' organs. He stated that outside pressure on the CCP would be the most effective way to influence change.
Mr. Matas also spoke about the massacre of the Jewish people by the Nazis, and the fact that the general population had not believed those allegations at the time. This means that just because something is hard to believe, it is not necessarily untrue.
David Kilgour introduced the updated report "Bloody Harvest," which has so far been translated into 17 languages. He discussed one of the 33 forms of evidence in support of the allegations, and the testimonies from the wife of a former surgeon who took part in organ harvesting from living Falun Gong practitioners. Moreover, he described recorded conversations from telephone calls to various Chinese hospitals boasting that Falun Gong practitioners were the organ source. This represents another strong form of evidence.
Mr. Kilgour also pointed out that the official website of the Chinese Embassy in New Zealand has incorporated misinformation directed at defaming Falun Gong. In addition, he revealed to the media Canadian police reports which clearly depict attempts by Chinese diplomats to incite community hatred toward Falun Gong practitioners. Moreover, he told the conference attendees that in 17 countries around the world where they have come in contact with Falun Gong practitioners, they have found them to be very well-educated people who believe in the principles of "Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance," and display no sign of violent behavior. But in China, hundreds of thousands of Falun Gong practitioners have been forced into "labor re-education camps," without going through any form of legal procedure.
Auckland Councillor Dr. Catherine Casey said that she was shocked and put in a state of disbelief last year when she heard Mr. Kilgour's New Zealand speech about live organ harvesting committed by the CCP. Auckland had been Guangzhou's sister city since 1989, and Dr. Casey learned from the report that Guangzhou was among the cities involved. She indicated that after the election she will request that the Mayor of Auckland raise the issue with their government official counterparts in Guangzhou.
International students from Guangzhou bring in an annual income of $50 million for the city of Auckland. However, Dr. Casey said she is not worried that raising concerns over human rights issues will bring economic threats from the CCP. Furthermore, she believes the citizens of Guangzhou will also be alarmed over the issue of live organ harvesting. Dr. Casey's speech was well received with lengthy applause from the audience.
Many media outlets were present at the press conference, including TV1, The Dominion Post, NZ Radio, Live Radio, NZ Herald, etc.
Category: Organ Harvesting
