Joint Committee on Foreign Affairs

PRESS RELEASE
23rd November 2006

A report investigating the possible organ harvesting of Falun Gong practitioners has alleged in its conclusion that “the Chinese Government has over the past half decade put to death a large but unknown number of Falun Gong prisoners of conscience” and “simultaneously seized their vital organs for sale at high prices”, the Oireachtas Joint Committee on Foreign Affairs was told this morning.

The Joint Committee was being addressed by former Canadian Secretary of State for the Asia Pacific region Mr. David Kilgour who co-authored the report with Mr. David Matas, an international human rights lawyer.

Mr. Kilgour told the Committee that the perpetrators of these deeds, including the doctors involved, should face the International Criminal Court as quickly as possible. “We have a new form of evil in the world”, Mr. Kilgour told the Committee. He went on to say that “these practices make crimes against humanity as defined by the Treaty of Rome and the International Criminal Court look more like misdemeanours”.

Speaking at the meeting, the Chairman of the Joint Committee, Dr. Michael Woods TD., said that Mr. Kilgour’s report “made for compelling reading”. Dr Woods said that, “although the report didn’t prove any of the allegations made”, it did “raise serious questions which must be addressed.” Dr Woods called on the Chinese Authorities to “allow an independent investigation to establish once and for all the veracity of these allegations.”

The Joint Committee also heard from Ms. Dongxue Dai, a Falun Gong practitioner living in Ireland since 1996 and now an Irish citizen. Ms. Dai informed the Committee of her own family’s persecution in China and said that “many Falun Gong practioners are still illegally detained in labour camps in China and subjected to severe torture” and that “many Falun Gong practitioners are in danger of being killed for their organs.”

Ms. Dai expressed her gratitude to the Irish Government for their assistance in helping two Falun Gong practitioners, one of whom, Mr. Liu Feng was present at the meeting, to return to Ireland after being detained in labour camps in China.

The Joint Committee undertook to write to the Minister for Foreign Affairs to request that he raise the issue with his Chinese counterpart and also requesting that he raise the matter at the ongoing EU-China dialogue on Human Rights. The Committee indicated that it would be inviting the Chinese Ambassador to Ireland for a discussion on this issue in the near future.

ENDS

The full text of Mr. David Kilgour’s report into the alleged organ harvesting of Falun Gong practitioners can be found at www.david-kilgour.com