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Panelists decry China's organ harvesting
First-hand stories call for helpful international action
Jesus Corral
Issue date: 2/6/07 Section: News
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Four speakers at a panel Thursday accused the Chinese government of systematically harvesting organs taken from practitioners of an oppressed peace movement.
The event, "China's New Genocide: Organ Harvesting from Prisoners of Conscience," was held in Sturm College of Law and was organized by the DU chapter of Amnesty International and the Asian Pacific American Law Students' Association (APALSA).
The speakers included Wenyi Wang, a medical doctor and anti-organ harvesting protest leader, Charles Lee, a former Chinese prisoner, Erping Zhang, director of the association for Asia Research and pro-Chinese democracy activist, David Matas, a human rights lawyer.
The panel discussed the Falun Dafa or Falun Gong movement to improve human rights and inspire peace in China and its relation to the alleged organ harvesting.
The panelists concluded that the Chinese government oppresses followers of Falun Dafa. They are executed, then the government uses their healthy organs in profitable transplants.
Falun Dafa is a philosophical and religious practice common in Chinese culture. It emphasizes the search for truth and self-enlightenment through meditation.
"It's what we call the self-improvement of mind and body," said Wang.
This philosophy has become the basis for a non-violence movement in China.
However, the ruling Communist Party outlawed this practice in 1999. Practitioners and sympathizers have been arrested and sometimes beaten to death.
Lee returned to China in an attempt to publicize the abuse of Falun Dafa followers and was arrested.
After three years of imprisonment he returned to the United States and has spoken about his experience as a Chinese prisoner which included torture, forced labor and brain washing.
"They forced me to attend the brainwashing class everyday," said Lee.
"There are many that go to China to help and are arrested," said Zhang.
According to Zhang, 3,091 people have died of torture for participating in this movement. Zhang said the movement is a threat to the Communist Party for its large numbers.
The event, "China's New Genocide: Organ Harvesting from Prisoners of Conscience," was held in Sturm College of Law and was organized by the DU chapter of Amnesty International and the Asian Pacific American Law Students' Association (APALSA).
The speakers included Wenyi Wang, a medical doctor and anti-organ harvesting protest leader, Charles Lee, a former Chinese prisoner, Erping Zhang, director of the association for Asia Research and pro-Chinese democracy activist, David Matas, a human rights lawyer.
The panel discussed the Falun Dafa or Falun Gong movement to improve human rights and inspire peace in China and its relation to the alleged organ harvesting.
The panelists concluded that the Chinese government oppresses followers of Falun Dafa. They are executed, then the government uses their healthy organs in profitable transplants.
Falun Dafa is a philosophical and religious practice common in Chinese culture. It emphasizes the search for truth and self-enlightenment through meditation.
"It's what we call the self-improvement of mind and body," said Wang.
This philosophy has become the basis for a non-violence movement in China.
However, the ruling Communist Party outlawed this practice in 1999. Practitioners and sympathizers have been arrested and sometimes beaten to death.
Lee returned to China in an attempt to publicize the abuse of Falun Dafa followers and was arrested.
After three years of imprisonment he returned to the United States and has spoken about his experience as a Chinese prisoner which included torture, forced labor and brain washing.
"They forced me to attend the brainwashing class everyday," said Lee.
"There are many that go to China to help and are arrested," said Zhang.
According to Zhang, 3,091 people have died of torture for participating in this movement. Zhang said the movement is a threat to the Communist Party for its large numbers.
Viewing Comments 1 - 1 of 1
Jana
Jana
posted 2/06/07 @ 10:57 PM MST
Thank you for posting this news albeit horrific as it is.
I think that we are all getting a bigger picture of whats happening in China now a days thanks to Falun Gong and other groups who are being relentlessly persecuted/murdered by the communist regime. (Continued…)
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