On 16 July 2021 I was awarded the Friends of Falun Gong Human Rights Award in Washington DC, USA. It acknowledges my work since 2006 to advance human rights in China, in particular, for religious minorities such as Falun Gong, Tibetan, Uyghur, Muslims and Christian communities and to bring the human rights situation in China to attention of international human rights bodies. My works links to the recent statement by UN human rights experts that they are ‘extremely alarmed’ by forced organ harvesting of minorities in China – see: https://www.aninews.in/news/world/europe/un-rights-experts-extremely-alarmed-by-forced-organ-harvesting-of-minorities-in-china20210618184054/
Prior to the award ceremony, on 3 July 2021 I have given an interview discussing my work to advance human rights in Communist China; see: the published video link:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3IUkXXBPuAA
The Award was presented at a rally, attended by some 2000 people, calling for end to 22-year-long persecution Falun Gong practitioners in Chinese Communist Party. See: Recognize CCP’s Persecution of Falun Gong as a Genocide: Advocates Mark 22 Years of Suppression at DC Rally (theepochtimes.com)
As I could not attend the ceremony in person, because of COVID19, my thank you speech (attached) was delivered by Mr Simon Vereshaka. The trophy presented to me was manufactured in the jewellery factory in NYC; here’ a short documentary about its production:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TX-Rxz0egiw&lc=Ugy2cPNVzeCuTP8n1uV4AaABAg
As a background, 20th July 2021 marks exactly 22 years since the Chinese Communist Party launched a massive campaign to eliminate the Falun Gong spiritual movement in China. Millions of Falun Gong practitioners in China have since been imprisoned, tortured, or killed, including through forced organ harvesting.
I first became interested in the matter after the publication of the 2006 David Kilgour and David Matas investigative report about organ harvesting from Falun Gong practitioners in China which stated that “the source of 41,500 transplants for the six-year period 2000 to 2005 is unexplained”.
The Kilgour/Matas report was followed up by the 2007 U.N. special rapporteur Manfred Nowak who acknowledged that the evidence presented by Kilgour/Matas report showed a “coherent picture that causes concern”. In 2008 the United Nations Committee Against Torture requested “a full explanation of the source of organ transplants” and shortly after Ethan Gutmann report estimating that between 450,000 and 1 million Falun Gong members were detained at any given time, and that tens of thousands were targeted for organ harvesting. The 2009, Kilgour–Matas updated version of the report, titled “Bloody Harvest” provided further evidence of the killing of Falun Gong for their organs.
Recently an independent tribunal based in London has written to UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres urging him to investigate the appointment of a Chinese official to the United Nations Human Rights Council.
The China Tribunal—chaired by human rights lawyer Sir Geoffrey Nice—claims that diplomat Jiang Duan’s appointment to the UNHRC Consultative Group means the UN is “sleepwalking into complicity” with Chinese human rights abuses, including the suppression of Muslim groups in the far west of the country and alleged human organ harvesting.
The Tribunal declared People’s Republic of China a “criminal state” in March 2021, accusing it of approving and helping cover up forced organ harvesting for more than 20 years. The Tribunal interviewed more than 50 witnesses and analysed written evidence of what it claims is a $1 billion-per-year industry.
China has consistently denied all allegations of forced organ harvesting, though acknowledged in 2005 that it took organs from executed prisoners. Beijing said that practice ended in 2015.
Critics have long maintained that the organ transplant market could not be supported only by executed prisoners, suggesting that the government was harvesting organs from political prisoners and minority groups including practitioners of Falun Gong and the Uighur community in Xinjiang.
The Tribunal’s letter to Guterres suggested that alleged “forced organ harvesting killings” are comparable “to the worst atrocities committed in conflicts of the 20th century,” including the Holocaust, the mass killings committed by the Khmer Rouge in Cambodia and the Rwandan genocide.
“The United Nations cannot be unminded of these concerns, lest it be accused of in effect sleepwalking into complicity,” the letter read.
On 24 September 2020 Sir Geoffrey Nice QC and Hamid Sabi, from the China Tribunal, presented at a side event held at the UN Human Rights Council. Hamid Sabi also spoke on the floor of the UNHRC the same day. Hamid’s 90 second speech is very powerful and can be viewed on this link – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jtc0W8l6nTs
Despite the overwhelming evidence of the existence of commercial organ harvesting from Falun Gong practitioners and other political prisoners by Chinese authorities some people still find it difficult to believe that such atrocity may be taking place in 21 century.
It reminds me of the visit of Jan Karski, a Polish resistance fighter to Washington DC in 1942 to report on Nazi Holocaust of Jews in Germany occupied Europe. Jan Karski who was an eyewitness of Holocaust and represented Polish Government in Exile described to Jewish U.S. Supreme Court Justice, Felix Frankfurter, what he saw: the roundups into the ghettos, the starvation and inhuman conditions, the massive shootings, the gassings. Despite Karski speaking for half an hour, he failed to convince Justice Frankfurter, who said: “Mr. Karski, a man like me talking to a man like you must be totally frank. So, I must say: I am unable to believe you.” and left the meeting.
There is clearly a need for much more public education about the human rights situation in today’s People’s Republic of China.
2021-07-16 Human Rights Award Washington DC Thank you speech
2007-10-28 Sev speaking at a rally
2007-11-01 Former Australian Human Rights Comissioner Sev Ozdowski carries the relay flame