Organ transplantation: Advances in transplant surgery provide new means for old cadres

The report states, “More advanced techniques in transplant surgery do not mean a more advanced Chinese political system. The Chinese Communist system remains. Developments in transplant surgery in China fall prey to the cruelty, the corruption, the repression which pervades China. Advances in transplant surgery provide new means for old cadres to act out their venality and ideology.”

In their recent visits to 30 countries, the two investigators interviewed many organ recipients. “When we were in Asia promoting our report, we met a man who in 2003 flew to Shanghai to obtain a new kidney for the RMB 20,000 price negotiated before his departure. He was admitted to the No 1 Peoples' Hospital-a civilian facility-and during the ensuing two weeks four kidneys were brought for testing against his blood and other factors. None proved compatible because of his anti-bodies; all were taken away. He subsequently went to his home country, returning to the hospital about two months later. Another four kidneys were similarly tested; when the eighth proved compatible, the transplant operation was successfully completed. His eight days of convalescence was done at No 85 hospital of the Peoples' Liberation Army. His surgeon was Dr. Tan Jianming of the Nanjing military region, who wore his army uniform at times in the civilian hospital.”

“The survival period for a kidney [after harvesting] is between 24-48 hours and a liver about 12 hours. The presence of a large bank of living kidney-liver ‘donors’ must be the only way China's transplant centres can assure such short waits to customers. The astonishingly short waiting times advertised for perfectly-matched organs would suggest the existence of a large bank of live prospective 'donors'.”

The report stated that the source of 41,500 transplants for the six-year period from 2000 to 2005 is unexplained. The report inferred that the organs came from Falun Gong practitioners. The new report contains evidence including admissions of doctors (during telephone investigation) that the organs are from Falun Gong practitioners, organs missing from corpses of practitioners tortured to death, the fact that practitioners often do not disclose their names in detention (to prevent the CCP’s persecution and implication of their family members and work units), the large number of practitioners missing, and family members not being allowed to see the corpses of practitioners tortured to death. Last November, Vice Minister of Health Huang Jiefu admitted that death-row prisoners were the source of organ transplants. The revised report pointed out, “The Falun Gong constitutes a prison population who the Chinese authorities vilify, dehumanize, depersonalize, marginalize even more than executed prisoners sentenced to death for criminal offences.”

Organ transplantation and huge profit for military and health systems

The report stated, “The sale of organs became for hospitals a source of funding, a way to keep their doors open, and a means by which other health services could be provided to the community.

There is, for instance, the Organ Transplant Center of the Armed Police General Hospital in Beijing. This hospital boldly states:

‘Our Organ Transplant Center is our main department for making money. Its
gross income in 2003 was 16,070,000 yuan. From January to June of 2004
income was 13,570,000 yuan. This year (2004) there is a chance to break
through 30,000,000 yuan.’

Military involvement in organ harvesting extends into civilian hospitals. Recipients
often tell us that, even when they receive transplants in civilian hospitals, those
conducting the operation are military personnel.”

The report pointed out that organ transplant surgeons in China can do any surgery if the government does not interfere since there is no independent inspection system to control them. The organ transplantation practices in China are unlawful in any other countries.

The report also pointed out that many countries are selling anti-rejection drugs related to organ transplantation surgeries performed in China. Those patients receiving organ transplants in China could not get aftercare after returning to their home countries due to the unknown source of organs.

Response of Chinese Government

The report uses the response of the Chinese government as a consideration: “The Government of China has responded to the first version of our report in an unpersuasive way. Mostly, the responses have been attacks on the Falun Gong. The fact that the Government of China would make attacks on Falun Gong the focus of their responses to our report reinforces the analysis of the report. It is these sorts of attacks which, in China, make possible the violation of the basic human rights of Falun Gong practitioners.

“The responses have identified only two factual errors in the first version of our report. In an appendix, in a caption heading, we placed two Chinese cities in the wrong provinces. These errors have nothing to do with the analysis or conclusions of our report.”

Witness testifies that practitioners in detention undergo blood tests and health examinations

Witness Wang Xiaohua from Montreal attended the press conference and provided testimony on health examinations including blood testing and organ examination, such as liver and kidney, administered to practitioners in detention. This information was included in the report.

Mr. Wang was imprisoned several times for persisting in his belief in Falun Gong. He and other practitioners were tortured physically and mentally in prison, but received comprehensive health examinations in January 2002.

Public should be warned not to receive organ transplants in China

The two investigators gave an example showing that the cases of organ transplantation recipients in Canada has increased. Receiving organ transplants in China is conducted through hospitals and businessmen. It has been confirmed that hospitals in Toronto, Vancouver, and Calgary send patients to China for organ transplants. Based on incomplete estimates, on average there is one case each month from Vancouver hospital and 20 cases from Toronto hospitals.

The total number of organ transplantation in Australia is decreasing as the government has warned patients about the possibility of organ removal from living Falun Gong practitioners in China.

The report includes recommendations to foreign governments. The recommendations include:

1. Foreign states should enact extra-territorial legislation penalizing participation in organ harvesting without consent.

2. State medical funding systems should deny reimbursement for commercial organ transplants abroad and aftercare funding for those benefiting from such transplants.

3. Any person known to be involved in trafficking in the organs of prisoners in China should be barred entry by all foreign countries.

4. Until China stops harvesting organs from prisoners of any sort,

i) foreign governments should not issue visas to doctors from China seeking to
travel abroad for the purpose of training in organ or bodily tissue transplantation,

ii) foreign medical transplant personnel should not travel to China for training
or collaboration in transplant surgery,

iii) contributions to scholarly journals on transplant research drawn from the
Chinese experience should be rejected,

iv) medical professionals abroad should actively discourage their patients from
travelling to China for transplant surgery,

v) pharmaceutical companies should not export anti-rejection drugs or any
other drugs solely used in transplantation surgery to China,

vi) foreign states should ban the export of anti-rejection drugs or any other
drugs solely used in transplantation surgery to China.

5. The onus should be on foreign professionals to determine beyond any reasonable doubt that the source of organ donation in China is voluntary before there is any referral to China or any cooperation with China relating to organ transplants.

6. The medical profession in every foreign country should set up a voluntary

reporting system to accumulate aggregate data about patients who have travelled to China for transplants.

7. Foreign states should issue travel advisories warning its population that organ

transplants in China are sourced almost entirely from unconsenting prisoners, whether sentenced to death or Falun Gong practitioners.

Using Olympic Games as a lever to stop live organ harvesting

In receiving media interviews, Mr. Kilgour said that International Olympic Committee, each government, sponsor, and athlete should ask themselves, “Should we interact with a government committing such a crime of live organ removal?” In such a way, pressure will be formed to stop the crime. He suggested using the Olympic games as a lever to exert pressure on the CCP to stop the crime.

Mr. Kilgour indicated that the CCP’s response to the report was unwise and that it would be better for the CCP to consider stopping the persecution of Falun Gong. Otherwise, the facts will be exposed before the people throughout the world during the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing.

Mr. Kilgour was confident about the investigation report during the interview. He called for an end to these crimes against humanity. He said, “Falun Gong is respected in all 69 of the 70 countries in which it exists. In only one of 70 countries, practitioners are persecuted and killed for their organs, and that’s China.” He said that young and healthy Falun Gong practitioners are killed for organs because of their belief and their remains are cremated by the CCP to destroy the evidence. Those patients to receive organ transplants in China should think it over. Others should not consent to such crimes.