Rhein-Neckar-Zeitung (Germany): “Unfortunately the conclusion indicates that the allegations are true”

On April 5th, 2007, the daily newspaper “Rhein-Neckar-Zeitung” in Germany’s northern Baden Württemberg carried a special report on the Chinese Communist regime’s systematic harvesting of organs from living Falun Gong practitioners, with the headline “Harvesting Organs is Lucrative in China.”

“Unfortunately, the conclusion indicates that the allegations are true”

Invited by the Heidelberg Branch of the International Social Association, the renowned international Canadian human right lawyer Mr. David Matas gave a presentation at the German American Institute in Heidelberg to introduce the report of the independent investigation conducted by him and Mr. David Kilgour, Canada’s former secretary of state for the Asia Pacific Region, on the allegations of the Chinese Communist regime’s harvesting organs from Falun Gong practitioners for profit. The report has widely attracted the attention of various German governments and media.

The article, in a Q and A format, explicitly explained how the atrocity was exposed. It quoted what Mr. Matas mentioned: “Organs of the criminals in China’s prisons, including a large number of Falun Gong practitioners, are harvested for transplantation. The organ-harvesting is carried out systematically without the convicts’ consent and the victims were killed during or shortly after the operations. After repeated investigation, unfortunately the conclusion indicated that the allegations are true.” “No survivors! I’ve never heard of any convicts who survived the organ-harvesting. Their remains were cremated. We also found that some internal organs of the bodies of those who were subjected to cruel torture were missing.”

When asked what evidence they had discovered, Mr. Matas said: “Our conclusion was based on ten to eleven kinds of evidence, among others, the testimony provided by the ex-wife of a former Chinese surgeon who had participated in organ-harvesting operations. Some Falun Gong practitioners also testified that they were forced to undergo blood tests during their incarceration, but other inmates weren’t. The origin of organs for transplantation was regarded as a state secret.”

Mr. Matas told reporters the reasons why most of the victims are Falun Gong practitioners: “Falun Gong practitioners constitute the largest group of inmates in Chinese prisons. They are subjected to most brutal torture since the Chinese Communist regime regards them as a threat to its power. As many Falun Gong practitioners refused to reveal their identities, it was very easy for the regime to count them as missing population. Another reason was that most Falun Gong practitioners are young and their physical condition is better than ordinary inmates due to their healthier living style.” “As long as people directly make phone calls to Chinese military hospitals, it would be easy for them to find compatible organs. As it is lucrative to sell organs, many hospitals have received instructions to do so. To gain economic interest, they won’t stop the practice easily.”