United Kingdom: Coalition to Investigate the Persecution of Falun Gong (European Branch) Is Established

The Coalition to Investigate the Persecution of Falun Gong (CIPFG) (European Branch) was announced to be officially established at a press conference on the afternoon of February 3rd 2007 in front of the Chinese Embassy in London.

CIPFG (European Branch) holds a press conference in front of the Chinese Embassy in London to announce its official establishment

More than 40 important members of government and prominent members of society from European countries have joined CIPFG-Europe, including members of parliament, senators, lawyers, clergymen, chairmen of NGOs, doctors, writers, journalists and officials from major enterprises and governments in over a dozen countries.

Groups, organisations and politicians from over a dozen European countries sent letters to express their support for the establishment of CIPFG-Europe, including the United Nations Association of World Citizens, the International Society for Human Rights in Germany, the Eurotransplant Foundation in Holland, Association Supporting Chinese Human Rights in Sweden, European Parliament Vice President Edward MacMillan-Scott, Members of Parliament in the UK, Holland and Belgium, and Irish medical experts. Their letters were read aloud at the press conference.

European Parliament Vice President Edward McMillan-Scott said in his letter that China's military system has participated in killing prisoners, especially detained Falun Gong practitioners, and even harvested vital organs from living humans.

The German International Human Rights Association said in the letter that they called on all countries to do everything possible to collect and provide evidence from labour camps and concentration camps that have not been exposed. They proposed that the International Committee of the Red Cross in conjunction with the United Nations Special Rapporteur on Torture to immediately start an investigation in China.

Experts said that the Chinese Communist regime has established a massive live organ bank. Ms. Yang Feng, currently residing in London, was illegally arrested and sentenced to two years in forced labour camp in China for practising Falun Gong. She had suffered inhumane torture, and was released after rescue efforts by overseas Falun Gong practitioners and international support. Ms. Yang Feng confirmed that the detained Falun Gong practitioners went through a very detailed physical examination, including herself. Such physical checkups target only Falun Gong practitioners. Ms. Yang said that upon entering the dispatch section of the forced labour camp, a physical examination and blood tests were conducted. The checkups in the dispatch section were fairly strict. After testing blood, they went through a comprehensive checkup.

Vice President of CIPFG-Europe John Dee said that there were several independent investigations last year, including investigation reports conducted by David Kilgour and David Matas from Canada, and a report done by Vice-President of the European Parliament Edward McMillan-Scott. Their reports showed that the systematic persecution of Falun Gong practitioners and prisoners of conscience in China has continued for a very long period of time. Their reports also showed evidence of the Chinese Communist regime’s harvesting organs from living Falun Gong practitioners and selling them abroad.

John said that Kilgour and Matas issued an updated edition of their report on January 31st 2007, providing more evidence on illegal organ harvesting, including interviews with organ transplant recipients from different countries. The updated report included more evidence they had collected while visiting 30 countries.

John expressed his hope that the CIPFG, newly-established in North America, Australia, Asia and Europe, will take the lead in exposing all the terrible atrocities committed by the Chinese Communist regime against Falun Gong. Let those who have committed the worst and the most serious violations of human rights to be punished according to law.