August 17, 2006
Practitioners of an Asian form of spirituality spread an urgent message of human rights abuses Wednesday morning on the steps of city hall, citing a report by a former MP and a human rights lawyer.
Representatives of the spiritual group Falun Gong told stories of illegal human organ harvesting supported by the Chinese Communist Party involving members of the group being sent to prison camps for their beliefs, then having vital organs removed while still alive.
David Kilgour, a former MP and Secretary of State for Asia Pacific, and David Matas, a well-known human rights lawyer, released a report in July detailing the findings of their own independent investigation into the organ harvesting of Falun Gong members.
The report concludes they "believe that there has and continues to be large scale organ seizures from unwilling Falun Gong practitioners."
Clement Sun, a Falun Gong spokesperson, says the communist regime believes its power over the people of China is undermined by the Falun Gong teachings of "truthfulness, compassion and tolerance in oneself" and its practices of meditation and gentle exercises "to achieve ... a state of selflessness and inner balance."
"The Chinese government feels it must control everything, so it goes after Falun Gong because we have grown to over 70 million [practitioners]," Sun said.
Amanda Turcotte, who recently moved to Timmins from North Bay with her daughter, Paige, was shocked and surprised to hear about the organ harvesting.
"I've never heard of that going on," Turcotte said. "What's being done about it?"
Dana Zhao, a Falun Gong practitioner based in Toronto, said that people are asked in the streets of China by government-controlled police officers if they are affiliated with the spiritual group and if they answer yes, they are kidnapped and put into concentration camps.
"Falun Gong won't lie because of their belief in the truth, but they will try to avoid answering the question," Zhao said.
Prisoners often have their kidneys, livers, lungs, hearts or corneas removed, supposedly for tens of thousands of dollars in profits.
Zhao said family members often don't find out what happened to their relatives because their bodies are burnt beyond recognition.