Austria: Parliamentary MPs are Concerned about Organ Harvesting from Falun Gong Practitioners

On November 21st, 2006, the former Canadian Secretary of State (Asia - Pacific) Mr. David Kilgour was invited by the Austrian branch of the International Human Rights Association (IGFM), to hold a press conference in Austria. Afterwards, he and several Austrian politicians had a meeting discussing about the CCP organ harvesting from living Falun Gong practitioners. On November 29th, a member of Sozialdemokratishe Partei sterreichs, an MP of Austrian Parliament Ms. Petra Bayr and Ms. Elisabeth Hlavac delivered formal official letters to the Austrian Minister of Foreign Affairs and Minister of Health asking them for replies on issues related to the CCP harvesting organs from living Falun Gong practitioners.

On November 21st, Mr. Kilgour was invited to hold a press conference in Austria

On May 25th, Falun Gong practitioners protested outside the European Union and China’s human rights dialogue conference site in Vienna against the CCP's trade in organs harveste from living Falun Gong practitioners

Official inquiry letter

Ms. Petra Bayr and Ms. Elisabeth Hlavac wrote in their letter: Mr. Kilgour introduced his world wide report in Vienna, i.e. an Austrian news agency published the ‘’report on investigation of the accusation against the CCP harvesting organs from Falun Gong practitioners’’ on the 29th of September 2006. According to the conclusion of Mr. Kilgour’s independent report, Falun Gong practitioners who are persecuted in China are abused as organ donors. China issued an organ transplanting related statute on the 1st of July which only applies to normal domestic hospitals, the most organ transplantation are carried out in army hospitals.

In the letter which was submitted to the Austrian Foreign Minister Ms. Ursula Plassnik, they made enquiries about whether she already knew about this issue and have drawn a conclusion, whether she has discussed such illegal organ transplanting issues in bilateral or multilateral talks, whether will request the United Nations to carried out an investigation in China and how to stop such human right abuses from the political side.

In another letter to the Austrian Minister of Health, Ms. Maria Rauch-Kallat wrote that there are a few more questions apart from the issues raised above. ‘’How large a portion does overseas organ transplanting is carried out in Austrian hospitals? How many organ donors are from China? How to ensure that the overseas organ donors are not violating donor’s willingness?’’

According to Austrian law, the letter submitted from MPs of Parliament must have a formal reply.

Mr. Kilgour’s Austrian Journey

Mr. Kilgour’s Austrian journey is the same as the journey of other European countries; it has drawn the local media and government’s attention to the crime of the CCP harvesting organs from living Falun Gong practitioners. Mr. Kilgour said in an interview with the Austrian Sound of Hope, ‘’During this journey, I have been to Warsaw, Bragg and Bratislava, many people’s reactions are very inspiring, for example folk social groups, the media and so on. I and several parties’ members had a delighted talk and reached a mutual recognition. They (Austrian parties’ politicians) seem that they are willing to do their best to exert pressure on the CCP, in order to stop the CCP harvesting organs from Falun Gong practitioners. I feel that all the parties have reached a mutual recognition, we should do more things. I hope that they can individually or collectively express the Austrian people’s consistency in this matter. ’’