“A call to stop organ harvesting from thousands of Falun Gong practitioners in China”
PRESS CONFERENCE:
TIME: 12:30pm, Friday 14th July, 2006
VENUE: Pitt Street, Martin Place
14/07/2006 – Since the release of a horrifying independent Canadian report last Friday confirming large scale organ harvesting from living Falun Gong practitioners in China, Sydney Falun Gong practitioners and supporters are ensuring that the Australian community is well informed, to prevent such atrocities and to call for public support for further investigation.
“This is truly a humanitarian crises and an appeal to the public and to the media to urge our government to take immediate action to investigate and condemn these atrocities. This is state-sanctioned mass murder for profit from organ transplants. We want to ensure that donors and transplants among Australians are protected, over 40,000 deaths are not accounted for and speaking out is an act of good conscience. It is not acceptable for this to happen to anyone, anywhere, at any time.” Said Kay Rubacek, Falun Gong Spokesperson.
There are close to 50 known Falun Gong practitioners in NSW alone who have experienced torture in China. Some still have visible physical scars from the abuse. The speakers at the press conference on Friday will be Sydney residents who have been tortured in China or have relatives suffering persecution in China because of their spiritual beliefs.
The public appeal will continue until next Thursday, when a large-scale activity lining George Street with anti-persecution banners will be held to mark the seventh anniversary of the illegal crackdown on the spiritual practice, which officially began on 20 July 1999.
Background Information:
A 45-page investigative report was released on 6 July 2006 in Canada that confirms allegations of organ harvesting from Falun Gong detainees. Co-authored by former Canadian Secretary of State (Asia-Pacific) David Kilgour and human rights attorney David Matas, the report draws “the regrettable conclusion that the allegations are true.”
The full report, which includes interview transcripts, can be downloaded at:
http://investigation.redirectme.net/
Posting date: 14/July/2006
Original article date: 14/July/2006
Category: Media Release
