(Minghui.org) A forum on state-sanctioned organ harvesting atrocities in China was hosted by the World Organization to Investigate the Persecution of Falun Gong (WOIPFG) in Berlin, Germany on October 28. Official human rights dialogues will be held in early November between China and Germany as well as between China and the European Union.
Local politicians and medical professionals advocated for more attention to be focused on the illicit organ harvesting practices in China whereby prisoners of conscience, most of whom practice Falun Gong, are custom killed for their organs. They indicated they were working on a bill to ban travel to China for organ transplants, and to deny entry to those involved in illegal organ trafficking.
Front row (from left to right): Dr. Zhiyuan Wang, director of WOIPFG, Arne Schwarz, IT expert of medical literature, Arne Gericke, member of European Parliament (MEP), Ethan Gutmann, reporter, and Charles Li, director of Public Relations of WOIPFG. Rear row (from left to right): Nie Sen, professor of Catholic University, and Martin Patzelt, member of German Parliament (MP).
MP Patzelt: China's Live Organ Harvesting Unprecedented
MP Martin Patzelt of Germany
MP Martin Patzelt is from the former East Germany. When he was young he believed that the communist party would collapse. He remarked in the opening of the forum, “Live organ harvesting has been going on for more than ten years. It has not reduced but has increased. The many ways the news has been spread to the world are still not enough. How can we tolerate this crime and keep silent?”
He continued, “It is unprecedented that a country participates in forced live organ harvesting for profit. If we do not work for human rights on this issue, we have to ask ourselves whether we are even human.”
MEP: The Persecution of Falun Gong Is Horrible
MEP Arne Gericke
MEP Arne Gericke grew up in former East Germany and experienced communist party control. He was the co-sponsor of the written declaration of European Parliament calling on the European Union to take action to stop China’s organ harvesting from prisoners of conscience and to conduct an independent investigation.
He stated that the Chinese regime has conducted the brutal persecution of Falun Gong for 17 years. The live organ harvesting is horrible. He stressed that Europe cannot ignore such a criminal act.
MP: Perpetrators Must Be Brought to Justice
MP Christoph Straesser sent a letter to the forum in which he stated that, “China is one of the countries with serious organ trafficking. The Chinese government has not given a reasonable explanation to rebut the allegation of its human rights violation.”
“Evidence shows that organ trafficking is ongoing in China. The crimes of forced live organ harvesting of inmates are continuing. The hospitals making a profit from organ trafficking exist as usual. Such infringement of human rights must be stopped and the perpetrators must be brought to justice.”
Former Vice Chairman of European Parliament Edward McMillan-Scott sent a letter to the forum. He stated he met with a Falun Gong practitioner ten years ago in China who witnessed his friend's corpse with all vital organs removed. The friend was a Falun Gong practitioner.
U.S. senior House Representative Chris Smith also sent a letter to the forum. He stated that China’s effort to eliminate Falun Gong these past 17 years is the biggest crime of the 21st century, and is the biggest disgrace in Chinese history.
WOIPFG: Live Organ Harvesting Is Going On
Director Zhiyuan Wang of WOIPFG
Director Zhiyuan Wang of WOIPFG introduced the newest results of the investigation. He pointed out, “China's organ transplantation increased exponentially since the CCP's initiation of the persecution in 1999. The waiting time for organs is extremely short. The investigation was based on the media reports in China and websites of hospitals and other official sources. Based on the Chinese media reports, live organ harvesting from Falun Gong practitioners is continuing.”
He gave specific numbers to illustrate the seriousness of the issue. The number of hospitals for liver transplantation increased from 19 to over 500 from 1999 to April 2006. The number of liver transplantation in China was 5 to 6 each year for more than 20 years before 1999. The number increased tremendously to over 1760 each year from 1999 to 2006.
The waiting time for a liver transplantation is two to three years on average in many countries. The waiting time in China was one to two weeks after 1999. The shortest was only a few hours. One can even order a kidney, liver and heart. This indicates that there is a large live donor bank, in which the donors have no freedom and wait to be killed for their organs.
Independent reporter Ethan Gutmann said that based on the number of hospitals in China, the number of beds for organ transplantation, the usage rate of the beds and working days, that the number of organ transplantation every year in China is much more than that stated by the Chinese government.
Charles Li, director of Public Relations of WOIPFG, was incarcerated for three years in China for his belief in Falun Gong. He played a few investigative phone records to illustrate the participation of the army in the live organ harvesting.
IT Expert of Medical Literature: Chinese Organ Transplantation Is Not Transparent
Arne Schwarz, an IT expert on medical literature, conducted an investigation on China's organ harvesting and the medicines used in the transplantation from Western pharmaceutical companies.
He said that the organ transplantation ethics is that organ donation must be voluntary. Inmates and others without freedom cannot make independent decisions. Their organs cannot be used for organ transplantation. The other ethics is organ donation and transplantation must be transparent and the source of organs must be traceable.
He said, “China's organ transplantation is not transparent. If this is allowed, it will affect other countries.” Allowing China's non-transparent organ transplantation suggests denying universal ethics.
How to Stop Live Organ Harvesting
In the question and answer session, MP Patzelt said he would strive to pass a resolution in German Parliament to condemn the CCP's live organ harvesting.
To the question “what can we do in Western countries,” he answered that in addition to the resolution, concrete action is needed. He and MEP Gericke both indicated that western pharmaceutical companies providing drugs to China and hospitals providing training to Chinese doctors must be warned to not be involved in this inhumane crime. The other way is to stop Germans from traveling to China to obtain organ transplants.
In addition, those involved in the live organ harvesting, including Chinese doctors and officials must be denied entry when they travel to Germany.
Category: Organ Harvesting
