Coalition to Investigate the Persecution of Falun Gong in China 23 November 2006 To: Consul General Chinese Consulate 75-77 Irving Road Toorak, Vic. 3142 Dear Mr Liang, Many Australians are extremely alarmed by the allegations that large numbers of Falun Gong prisoners of conscience have been, and we believe continue to be, killed in China to harvest their organs for the transplant trade1. Although denied by your government, there has been no serious investigation to support such denial and no sign of preventive measures, such as the new legislation, being effective2. Both the international community and the Australian public believe that this is too serious a crime, if true, to be allowed to continue unabated. For the Chinese government to be exonerated from these serious allegations, the only way is to allow unfettered inspections and investigations by independent investigators from the international community to detention facilities and hospitals of their own choosing, including those within the military system due to their alleged involvement3. The Coalition to Investigate the Persecution of Falun Gong4 (CIPFG) is a global alliance of independent concerned parties who are committed to conduct serious investigations and to ensure that the alleged killings do not happen. The Australian CIPFG delegation has been formed and together with three other delegations, from Europe, Asia and North America, we are ready to begin the investigations. The July 6th 2006 report into this allegation5 by international human rights lawyer David Matas and former Canadian Secretary of State for Asia Pacific region David Kilgour (referred to as Matas-Kilgour Report hereafter) has made seventeen recommendations for the Chinese government and the global community to act to ensure the alleged crime is stopped or at the very least prevented. Most of these recommendations could be and should be implemented, whether the allegation is true or false6. The CIPFG delegations going to China is implementing recommendation 3 of the Matas-Kilgour Report, while the inspections and investigations conducted by the delegations will action recommendations 11, 12, 13 and 14. The Australian CIPFG also urge the implementation of recommendations 10, 15, 16, and 17 of the Matas-Kilgour Report by the Chinese government - “the repression, imprisonment and severe treatment of Falun Gong practitioners must stop immediately”, “organ harvesting from executed prisoner should cease immediately”, and “organ transplants should not be for sale”. The delegation, while in China, will also investigate and report on evidences of non-compliances of 10, 15, 16 and 17. The Coalition’s teams from the four continents will cover different regions of China; the targets of the Australian delegation include Hebei, Jilin and Hubei provinces. We have lists of detention facilities and hospitals in these provinces that may be the starting points of our investigation, but we may go outside these three provinces if need arises in order to follow cases under investigation. We would also like to ask for your government’s assistance to locate Mr Gao Zhi Sheng (Beijing based lawyer and CIPFG member) and Mr Cao Dong, a Falun Gong practitioner who was detained after the Vice-President of the European Parliament visited him earlier this year, who we would like to visit. According to Amnesty International Mr Gao has been detained since August this year but his whereabouts unknown. The international community strongly urge for his immediate release. The Australian delegation Victorian team consists of concerned parliamentarians, citizens and organizations. We seek to have a meeting with you to discuss and organize details for the delegation’s travel to and inside China. Your attention and assistance is highly appreciated. Yours sincerely, National Civic Council Spokesperson of CIPFG Team leader Notes: 1 Secret Chinese Concentration Camp Revealed http://www.theepochtimes.com/news/6-3-10/39083.html 2 New laws came into effect from 1st July 2006 in China, but failed to prevent an “increase” in supply of organs in the lead up to the 2006 National Day (Oct 1st). BBC report http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia- pacific/5386720.stm 3 Source Reveals Other Chinese Concentration Camps http://www.theepochtimes.com/news/6-3-31/39910.html 4 Announcing the Establishment of "The Allied Group to Investigate the Persecution of Falun Gong in China" and Its Preliminary Investigations http://www.clearwisdom.net/emh/articles/2006/4/30/72657.html 5 Download the report at http://investigation.go.saveinter.net/ 6 See attached the “recommendations" Recommendations in the Matas-Kilgour Report J. Recommendations 1) It goes without saying that the harvesting of organs of unwilling Falun Gong practitioners, if it is happening, as we believe it is, should cease. 2) Organ harvesting of unwilling donors where it is either systematic or widespread is a crime against humanity. We are not in a position, with the resources and information at our disposal, to conduct a criminal investigation. Criminal authorities in China should investigate the allegation for possible prosecution. 3) Governmental, non-governmental and inter-governmental human rights organizations with far better investigative capacity than ours should take these allegations seriously and make their own determinations whether or not they are true. 4) Article 3 of the United Nations Protocol to Prevent, Suppress and Punish Trafficking in Persons, bans, among other practices,... the removal of organs. Governments should request the relevant agency of the UN (we would suggest the UN Committee Against Torture and the UN Special Rapporteur on Torture), to investigate if the government of China has engaged in, or is engaging in now, in violations of any of the terms of Article 3. If so, the necessary steps to seek a remedy should be initiated with deliberate haste. 5) Until the Chinese law on organ transplants is effectively implemented, foreign governments should not issue visas to doctors from China seeking to travel abroad for the purpose of training in organ or bodily issue transplantation. Any doctor in China known to be involved in trafficking in the organs of prisoners should be barred entry by all foreign countries permanently. 6) All states should strengthen their laws against the crime of trafficking in organs. The laws should require doctors to report to the authorities of their country any evidence suggesting that a patient has obtained an organ from a trafficked person abroad, defined to include persons in detention abroad. 7) All should prevent and, at the very least, discourage their nationals from obtaining organ transplants in China until the Chinese law on organ transplants is rigorously implemented. States should, if necessary, deny passports or revoke passports of those who are travelling to China for organ transplants. 8) Until the international community is satisfied that the new Chinese law on organ transplants is effectively implemented, foreign funding agencies, medical organizations and individual health professionals should not participate in any Government of China- sponsored organ transplant research or meetings. Foreign companies which currently provide goods and services to China's organ transplant programs should cease and desist immediately until the government of China can demonstrate that their law on organ transplants is effective. 9) The current form of dialogue between Canada and China over human rights should cease. Canadian political scientist and former diplomat Charles Burton recently declared the dialogue a charade. In hindsight, the Government erred in agreeing to the talk fests in exchange for Canada no longer co-sponsoring the yearly motion criticizing China's government at the then UN Human Rights Commission. 10) The repression, imprisonment and severe mistreatment of Falun Gong practitioners must stop immediately. 11) All detention facilities, including forced labour camps, must be opened for international community inspection through the International Committee for the Red Cross or other human rights or humanitarian organization. 12) Chinese hospitals should keep records of the source of every transplant. These records should be available for inspection by international human rights officials. 13) Every organ transplant donor should consent to the donation in writing. These consents should be available for inspection by international human rights officials. 14) China and every other state now party to the Convention against Torture, including Canada, should accede to the Optional Protocol to the Convention against Torture. 15) Every organ transplant, both donation and receipt, should have official approval from a government supervisory agency before the transplant takes place. 16) Organ harvesting from executed prisoners should cease immediately. 17) Commercialization of organ transplants should cease. Organ transplants should not be for sale.