United Kingdom: "Doctors against Forced Organ Harvesting" Hold Seminar in Glasgow

On the 5th of September 2011, "Doctors against Forced Organ Harvesting” held a seminar in the UK entitled "Organ Transplant at a Crossroads”, which mainly publicised the conclusion of research that the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) harvests organs from live Falun Gong practitioners.

The seminar analysed the conflict of the CCP’s organ abuse status quo with international ethical standards and called upon the European medical community as well as the UK society to, having learned the truth, stop the CCP's inhumane persecution of Falun Gong practitioners together. The seminar was held at the Crowne Plaza Hotel in the Scottish city of Glasgow. The event triggered wide-ranging attention on the CCP’s crimes of organ harvesting from live Falun Gong practitioners.

Conference hall

"Doctors against Forced Organ Harvesting" invited Canadian human rights lawyer and the author of the book Bloody Harvest, David Matas, a medical professor at a German university, Dr. Li Huige, and journalist Ethan Gutmann as guest speakers. The European Parliament Vice-President in charge of democracy and human rights, Edward McMillan-Scott, sent a special letter to express support for the event. Scotland's three largest media covered the seminar, with particular reference to Dalian, the "sister city" of Glasgow, where organ harvesting has also been taking place. In addition, because the seminar was held during the fifteenth annual conference of The European Society for Organ Transplantation (the 4th – 7th of September 2011 in Glasgow), some forty medical professionals from the Society attended.

At the opening of the seminar, the host read a letter of support from Mr. McMillan-Scott. At the end of his letter, Mr. Scott said: "I will continue international efforts with David Matas, David Kilgour and others to allow more people to pay attention to these appalling, inhuman transactions."

Matas: In China the mechanism to prevent this abuse does not exist

One of Canada's leading human rights lawyers, David Matas, and former Secretary of State of the Government of Canada for the Asia Pacific region, David Kilgour, began an investigation in 2006 of allegations that the CCP had been harvesting organs from living Falun Gong practitioners. Their investigative report was first published in July 2006, confirming the existence of such crimes. In 2010 the duo published Bloody Harvest. Mr. Matas was nominated for the 2010 Nobel Peace Prize .

Mr. Matas

Matas told the seminar audience that since he and David Kilgour published the first investigative report about organ harvesting of Falun Gong practitioners, they had been doing a follow-up study on the same issue. Their latest findings were that “matters have gotten worse, and there has been an increase in sourcing of organs from Falun Gong practitioners.”

Matas also said: “The darkness cast by data coverup makes organ transplant abuse easier to perpetrate. One factor which drove our conclusion that Falun Gong were being killed for their organs is that the mechanisms which should be in place to prevent such abuse were not in place. That conclusion is even more true now than when we published our book, because data publicly available then through the China Liver Transplant Registry which indicated the extent of the abuse is no longer available.”

Ethan Gutmann: Falun Gong practitioners remain the main source of forced organ harvesting

Ethan Gutmann supported the existence of the crime of organ harvesting with his own research. He pointed out that the Chinese military is involved in organ trafficking. Gutmann said that the communist regime initially extracted organs from executed prisoners and subsequently harvested organs from Falun Gong practitioners. His latest case study indicated that the suppressed Tibetans and Uygurs had also become a source for organs.

Mr. Ethan Gutmann

Medical professor: If people do not speak out against this, what are they waiting for?

In his speech, Professor Li from Germany analysed what made the crime of organ harvesting possible under the CCP regime. Out of his own conscience, he wanted to help more people learn the truth about organ harvesting. He said: "This is overwhelmingly important. Seeing this kind of crime actually happening in China, in my opinion, everyone has the responsibility. Why? What is happening now in China (organ harvesting) is atrocious. If people do not speak out against this, what are they waiting for?"

Professor Li urged colleagues in the Western medical community to participate in joint efforts to stop the violence on the basis of learning the truth about the CCP’s organ harvesting. He said: "For Western doctors, just let them know what is happening in China. Why is it so important? It is impossible for the CCP regime to correct its own wrongdoing. The purpose of telling the Western medical community is to put pressure on the CCP through the Western medical institutions or professional bodies, making the CCP stop the persecution. Such atrocities should not continue."

Professor Li

Meanwhile, for medical professionals in mainland China, Professor Li hoped that they would learn the truth and keep their consciences. He said: "Those doctors involved in the organ harvesting, some have already become accomplices when they found out. It is difficult to quit. Some have bought into the CCP’s propaganda. One must see the CCP’s true despicable colours. There is no reason to persecute Falun Gong, a group of people who want to become better people, who believe in Truthfulness, Compassion and Forbearance. The CCP simply uses its slanderous propaganda to find an excuse for its brutal persecution. We doctors should see through this. Do not become an accomplice. "

Scottish Christian Party leader: Western governments and medical professionals should help prove the allegations

Donald Boyd is a leader of the Scottish Christian Party and also a doctor. He said he had learned a lot by taking part in the seminar, because the content of the seminar could not yet be found in the media. He believed the event was meaningful. He said: "I think it is very important and should let everyone know. I think it is very credible, so I think it should be followed till the end. Western governments and medical professionals should make every effort to help prove the allegations. "

Mr. Donald Boyd

Dr. Boyd strongly condemned the atrocities of organ harvesting, which violate human rights and are unacceptable. He said: "Without a doubt (the crime of organ harvesting) violates all moral codes, including medical ethics and even humanity. No moral code would accept these (atrocities)."

German doctor: I think everyone should know this

A female doctor from Germany, Julia, was a delegate of the fifteenth annual conference of The European Society for Organ Transplantation. Having attended the seminar, she said she would take immediate action herself to stop organ harvesting from continuing because the challenge of evil against humanity could not be tolerated. She said: "I will tell my colleagues and friends what I learned today, which I found shocking. I cannot understand why other countries have turned a blind eye. Action is long overdue in my opinion to stop it from happening. We live in the twenty-first century. What is happening in China (organ harvesting) is beyond belief. For me, I’m thinking what I can do, whether I should stop buying products from such a country. This is terrible. I think everyone should know about this. "

"This of course is against humanity. Nobody, no nation, no member of the human race should be allowed to do such a thing. I think more people should know this. I am not sure whether politicians in other countries know about this. The matter is very urgent, very bad, we need to act quickly. "

British psychologist: It made me think what I can do as a person

British psychologist Ms. Clark also attended the fifteenth annual conference of The European Society for Organ Transplantation. She ran into Mr. Matas at the poster exhibition of the Conference, and decided to suspend her conference activities to participate in the seminar.

Ms. Clark talking to Mr. Matas

After the seminar, she said she had learned a lot. The seminar made her think. She said: "I was touched by the speeches. The theme is very important, very heavy. But the speakers convey a great deal of compassion. Many expressed ultimate concern over human rights in China, so I am very pleased that I attended the seminar. Yes, right now I am more informed about the issue (organ harvesting). I'm going to tell more people, including my colleagues and a teacher friend. Also, as I left the seminar I have been thinking: as a person what I can (do). "

Secondary school teacher: organ harvesting is ultra-brutal

A group of teachers and students from Hillhead High School in Glasgow attended the seminar. Both teachers and students were shocked by the atrocities of organ harvesting from live Falun Gong practitioners that the seminar exposed. They said they would act to let more people know. A teacher, Mr. Philip, said: "I have never heard of the issues discussed at the seminar. The seminar is very shocking and informative. (The crime of organ harvesting) is shocking and ultra-brutal. It is hard to believe at first that such a thing can happen. Thank you for inviting us to this seminar. "

A female student, Suganda Azimi, was very concerned about human rights issues. When she learned of the existence of the CCP’s organ harvesting, she was shocked. She said: "I am shocked that the public knows very little about such a big deal. There is no media coverage. I can draw a conclusion here that Western governments, including the British government and the U.S. Governments, chose to compromise and ignore such a huge issue, probably because of economic interests. I think that Amnesty International and other human rights organizations, and the United Nations, should pay more attention to this. It seems they are also ignoring the problem. As students, we should tell others, more people, and talk more about it, so that more people know this. Family, friends, as long as he (she) is willing to listen we should deliver the information to let everyone know that this sort of thing is happening in China. "

Azimi is shocked by the organ harvesting in China

“Doctors against Forced Organ Harvesting” is a non-profit international organisation, calling upon all doctors and organ transplant professionals around the world to join in its efforts to require unhindered access to detention facilities, prisons and hospitals in China, and in conducting an independent investigation into organ harvesting activities in China.