Germany: Letting Bielefeld Know about the Persecution of Falun Gong

“Why is he sitting there?” asked a pedestrian, without any preamble. He was slightly agitated and wanted to know why a young Chinese man sat on a chair in the pedestrian zone. There were crutches right next to his chair and he held up a piece of paper that said, “Ask questions of a labour camp survivor.” Initially, the man could not make sense out of this scene but slowly he opened up and a long conversation ensued.

Exposure of Human Rights Violations in China

We organised an information booth in downtown Bielefeld on Saturday, March 10th. We wanted to expose the human rights violations perpetrated in China, the existence of labour camps and the persecution of Falun Gong to local people. The banners displayed read “Dirty Business with Organs from Falun Gong Practitioners,” “Concentration Camps in China” and “Organ Theft in China.” The banners surrounded an operating table that was used to re-enact a scene that happens daily in China, when organ theft from human beings occurs.

This scene happens daily in China in labour camps and military hospitals. They are removing organs from healthy people for transplant. To destroy evidence of these sinister deeds, the bodies are cremated shortly after the organs are removed.

Discussion with a Survivor of the Persecution

Wang Zhen comes from Shanghai, where he suffered inhuman persecution at Qingpu labour camp. He remains handicapped from that ordeal. Two prison guards broke both his hip joint caps and other bones, as well as inflicted other injuries during “re-education.” Therefore, he has an artificial limb and an artificial hip joint on the right side. Mr. Wang attained Falun Gong during the years he studied at a university.

After the beginning of the persecution in 1999, Mr. Wang could not understand how something like this could happen. He distributed flyers so people could learn about the injustice. He did not want to deny the truth and leave the injured and murdered fellow practitioners and their families to fend for themselves. Therefore, he was arrested several times. Today, he is married to a German citizen and lives in Germany. Yet, he can’t forget what he saw and experienced, not least because his best friend is still imprisoned.

Two of his friends lost their lives while in detention for the simple reason that they held a different position from the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). For many Chinese this represents death by torture. One of his fellow female students disappeared without a trace. He has not idea if she is dead or alive.

Mr. Wang wants the German people to understand what is going on in China, an end to the persecution, and especially that the paranoia of CCP members can no longer destroy lives. He wants the silence to stop. This is the reason for him having overcome some obstacles so he could help during the information day.

Some passersby wanted to hear about his suffering. They asked questions and showed their sympathy. “He looks so sad,” sad a robust man, looking rather shocked. But, he did not dare approach him and took information material instead.

Many People Show Deepest Concern and Shock

Some people looked bewildered. “I don’t understand.” “What is that?” They just couldn’t come to grips with the scenes in front of their eyes and looked for explanations. Others had heard about it, but really did not have a clear understanding and there were those who could not quite believe what they heard. But, what they understood was that people in China “disappear.”

“One just cannot imagine what is going on in China”

There were those who were rather shocked and asked, “What is going on?” “This is absolutely awful.” “How can anyone do something like this?” One man just couldn’t get over the systematic arrangements of the persecution. He had already heard that people are just picked up on the street for organ harvesting. But, that it is “hidden” and perpetrated to such a great extent shocked him deeply.

“I no longer want to buy anything made in China”

There were those who doubted the success of our activities. “Does this make an impact?” We responded, “Yes, the more signatures we can collect, the faster politicians will have to react. Then, politicians can no longer ignore this persecution.” We were told quite often, “What can we do to help?” The people wanted to help and support our activities. They had an open heart and showed their sympathy. "To be honest, I no longer wish to buy anything made in China. I want make sure that my money does not support something like that.” Others said, “Ikea sells a lot of things from China. Do you know the source of these products? If more and more customers ask for the origin of the goods, they also have to react."

“I’m totally impressed with what you are doing here!”

“These are very admirable Canadian politicians who champion against organ theft. One should use them as role models.” They were referring to the Kilgour and Matas report, an independent source that confirmed publicly organ theft from Falun Gong practitioners in China for the first time last year. In the meanwhile, the Canadian Prime Minister and many politicians from America and Europe have publicly spoken out against the persecution and organ trade and have brought it to the attention of the worlds’ people.

Originally published in German at: http://de.clearharmony.net/articles/200703/36780.html