Canberra, Australia: Falun Dafa Practitioners Rally to Call for Legislators to Help End the Chinese Communist Party’s Forced Organ Harvesting

(Minghui.org) Falun Dafa practitioners gathered in front of Parliament House in Canberra, Australia, from November 4 to 7, 2024. They peacefully requested that the Australian House of Representatives pass a legislative amendment to help stop the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) forced live organ harvesting.

Practitioners held a press conference on November 6, 2024. Both practitioners and Australian human rights lawyers spoke out against the CCP’s ongoing forced live organ harvesting and elaborated on the importance of the federal government adopting the relevant legislation to prevent more Australians from inadvertently being involved in the illegal organ trafficking.

In the afternoon, cross-party members of the Parliament initiated a forum about forced live organ harvesting, which attracted a wide range of people, including Australian politicians, legal professionals, and human rights commissioners. Mr. Cheng Peiming, a survivor of the CCP’s forced live organ harvesting, testified through a video call. He recounted his chilling experience of having parts of his organs harvested and answered questions.

Falun Dafa practitioners called on the Australian government to put an end to the CCP’s forced live organ harvesting during events in front of the Parliament House in Canberra, Australia on November 4-7, 2024.

The Importance of Passing Legislative Measures to Help Stop the Forced Live Organ Harvesting

Madelene Bridget, an Australian human rights lawyer, attended the press conference on November 6, 2024.

Madelene Bridget, an Australian human rights lawyer, said during the press conference on November 6, 2024, “I am here today to speak about the legislation that needs to be changed here in Australia. There is a bill before Parliament at the moment that would make it a requirement that if you travel overseas, when you return you would need to fill in on your incoming passenger card whether or not you’ve had an organ transplant overseas.”

She emphasized the importance of passing this bill, and said, “Australia can become more visible about how many people are actually going overseas and have overseas organ transplants. At the moment, Australia does not collect that data. So we do not know as a nation how many people are going overseas and having organ transplants, where they get the organs, and whether the organs are sourced legally and ethically. So that bill is very important. We are calling on the federal Parliament to pass that legislation, and that will also mean that Australia will be in line with many other countries around the world that do have similar legislation. It is really important that the Federal Parliament passes laws to deter and prevent organ trafficking overseas, in particular forced organ harvesting in China.”

Trade Should not be at the Expense of Human Rights and Fundamental Principles

Dr. Lucy Zhao, president of the Falun Dafa Association of Australia

Lucy Zhao, president of the Falun Dafa Association of Australia, said, “Falun Dafa has been persecuted and organs have been harvested for 25 years. Many countries have taken action. [These] countries include the United Kingdom, France, Italy, and Canada. These countries have passed legislation that forbid forced live organ harvesting. The Australian Senate passed the first part of a bill that stopped forced live organ harvesting in August 2024. We hope that this bill will be supported by the House of Representatives and be passed into a formal bill.

“Putting an end to forced live organ harvesting is a sensitive matter for the Australian government since they have to take into consideration the trade relationships with China. We are not against doing trade with China, but trade should not be done at the expense of human rights. It will do no good for Australia if human rights and basic principles are sacrificed during the process of trade,” she said.

The Tragedy is Still Ongoing

John Deller, spokesperson for the Falun Dafa Association in Australia

John Deller, spokesperson for the Falun Dafa Association in Australia, said, “Some Australian patients have traveled to China to have organ transplants. There is no way to identify how it was done legally or whether the organs are from Falun Dafa practitioners or other prisoners of conscience being killed in China—just being sold by Chinese Communist Party, the military hospital system, and the doctors that can make money out of selling organs from killing prisoners of conscience, selling them to desperate people from all over the world. That is a tragedy. We like that MPs and senators understand this tragedy and apply Australian law to remedy this situation. I hope the Australian government will stand up and speak against illegal organ transplants.”

Falun Dafa Practitioner Illegally Detained and Forced to Have Blood Tests and Physical Examination Multiple Times

Ms. Zhuang, a Falun Dafa practitioner, recounted her and her family’s experiences of being forced to have their blood drawn while they were being held in detention centers, labor camps, prisons, and police stations. She said, “I was illegally sentenced to a forced labor camp for two years, from January 2001 to December 2002. All the Falun Dafa practitioners in the Shanghai Women’s Forced Labor Camp had their blood drawn at least twice. I was illegally sentenced to two years, from December 2011 to December 2013. Prior to being transferred from Shanghai Pudong Detention Center to the Shanghai Women’s Prison in August 2012, the prison guards took me to the hospital for a detailed physical examination which included drawing blood, getting an ultrasound, a CT scan, and X-ray examination. The guards at the detention center told me that only Falun Dafa practitioners are required to undergo such detailed medical examinations.”

She also said that when her mother and husband were illegally sentenced to forced labor camps, they also had their blood drawn. She said, “We know that the physical examinations were only a precursor to forced live organ harvesting.”

Forum Focusing on CCP Crimes Urges Australia to Pass a Bill to Help Stop Forced Organ Harvesting

The topic of the CCP’s forced live organ harvesting was in the spotlight at a forum hosted by federal legislators from different parties at the Parliament House on the afternoon of November 6, 2024.

Mr. Cheng Peiming, the first known survivor of the CCP’s forced live organ harvesting, testified via video. He recounted his harrowing experience of having his organs harvested while he was alive. Participants urged the Australian government to take legislative action and join the international fight against live organ harvesting.

Madeleine Bridgett, human rights lawyer and speaker during the seminar, praised Mr. Cheng’s bravery. She called on the Australian government to take tougher legal measures to stop the crimes of forced live organ harvesting.

Mr. Cheng Peiming said, “I was transferred one night from Daqing Prison to Daqing Fourth Hospital. I was forcibly held down by six police officers and was anesthetized without my consent. I woke up after a few days of being in a coma, and the pain from the surgery was excruciating.”

Mr. Cheng has a 35 centimeter incision on the left side of his chest. To this day, his left arm and ribs ache on rainy days or when he is physically exhausted. Transplant specialists and medical professionals confirmed through recent CT scans that Mr. Cheng is missing segments of his left liver and half of the lower left lobe of his lung.

Mr. Cheng’s testimony provided compelling evidence that shook the participants. His personal experience boosted the confidence and determination of all political parties in Australia to push forward with passing laws that ban forced live organ harvesting.

The Australian Senate passed the Migration Amendment (Overseas Organ Transplant Disclosure and Other Measures) Bill 2023, in August 2024. This bill requires travelers into Australia to disclose on the incoming passenger card whether they received an organ transplant overseas in the last five years. They will also need to disclose which country, state, and locality they received the transplant in, and the name of the medical facility where the operation took place.

The bill has been proposed to the Australian House of Representatives for further debate. If passed, the bill will be put into action.