"A court in Beijing recently found lawyer Gao Zhisheng guilty of subversion. Gao is an active human rights attorney. As we can imagine, the Chinese regime sentenced Mr. Gao because he defended Christian members of unofficial churches and practitioners of the Falun Gong spiritual movement. His two lawyers were neither allowed to enter the court nor meet their client. Consequently, they cannot confirm whether Gao pleaded guilty as the regime claimed."

On November 22nd 2006, an Italian news agency reported that Mr. Benedetto Della Vedova, member of the Liberal Reformers and Radical Member of European Parliament, held a press conference to expose the lack of basic human rights in China. Former Canadian Secretary of State for Asia and Pacific David Kilgour was invited to the press conference. Recently, Mr. Kilgour has been devoted to raising awareness about the Chinese Communist Party’s forced removal of Falun Gong practitioners’ internal organs.

Jacqueline Fraysse, a congresswoman, councilor and heart surgeon, recently sent a letter to a French member of CIPFG. “After reading your illustration and the report made by David Matas and David Kilgour, I am convinced of the seriousness of the situation. Thus I made up my mind to request the French Foreign Minister negotiating with the Chinese government to instigate an independent investigation team be allowed into China."

Members of the Board of Appeals believe: "The brutal measures employed by the Chinese Communist regime in the persecution against this spiritual group since 1999 is very troubling. In this regard, the German government has submitted a list of practitioners being persecuted to the Chinese authorities, requesting it to stop discrimination and persecution of Falun Gong practitioners and to release detained practitioners."

"On the 6th of July 2006 David Matas and David Kilgour, both Canadian lawyers, published their 'Report into Allegations of Organ Harvesting of Falun Gong Practitioners in China' following an independent investigation they carried out into the very disturbing stories leaking out of China that allegedly state institutions in the People's Republic of China have been harvesting human organs from innocent unconsenting live Falun Gong Practitioners, and killing the practitioners in the process by extra-judicial executions during the organ removal process."

Ms. Marie-Francoise Lamperti, president of the French human rights organization Agir pour les Droits de l'Homme, recently met with Laurent Billi, the Foreign Affairs Advisor for President Chirac. During the meeting, Ms. Lamperti emphasized the persecution of Falun Gong and asked the council to pass a letter from the French Falun Dafa Association to the President.

"On 21 May in Beijing I held a meeting with Mr Cao DONG, a Falun Gong practitioner, who had been ‘administratively detained’ for his religious beliefs. He had discharged his sentence and was guilty of no crime. Following this meeting, he was arrested. I have recently learned that he is still being detained by the Chinese public authorities, has been transferred to Gansu province and is being held in the Public Security Bureau detention centre. An arrest warrant for 'producing Falun Gong material' was issued on September 29 2006. I now insist that your superiors release him immediately: I am about to refer this matter to the United Nations in person."

The UK Independence Party wrote to the European Friends of Falun Gong to express their concern “about the practice of ‘organ harvesting’ from prisoners of conscience in China. MEP Graham said he and “his UKIP MEP colleagues all abhor the disgraceful practices and will do all they can to try and prevent it. “ He continues to say that they will give their support to “try and bring these horrific practices to an end.”

Mr. Manfred Nowak, specially assigned for the issue of torture, made a report to the Council and said that torture is widely used in the People’s Republic of China. Former Canadian Secretary of State David Kilgour brought up the issue of the CCP having removed organs from living Falun Gong practitioners and then cremating their bodies to eliminate the evidence.

"Regarding whether or not the Chinese Communist regime has been harvesting the organs from Falun Gong practitioners and then cremating the remains to destroy the evidence, human rights attorney David Matas and I jointly released an investigation report in July. In our report, we have come to the regrettable conclusion that the allegations are true."

Ambassadors of various countries based in London wrote to the European Friends of Falun Gong to express their concern about organ harvesting from living people in China. The Ambassador of the Swiss Embassy wrote, “Thank you for your letter of 22nd of August 2006 concerning Falun Gong practitioners in China and the allegations of organ harvesting in that country. Switzerland has been conducting a human rights dialogue with China for several years now. Our priority topics include the right to freedom of religion and conscience and freedom from physical harm".

Michel Hunault is a member of the French Parliament and a member of the European Parliament. He is also a member of the Human Rights Committee of the European Parliament. On September 12th, Mr. Hunault met David Kilgour in Paris and learned about the organ harvesting report authored by Kilgour, former Canadian Parliament member

"For the moment I can assure you that the European Commission attaches the utmost importance to the issue of organ harvesting. It is clear that the legislation on this recently adopted by the Chinese government does not adequately address the issue of donor consent, particularly for the those who have died in custody or have been executed. We have made our concerns known to the Chinese government both through our human rights dialogue and wider political channels, urging them in strong terms to take measures to address these concerns as a matter of urgency. We will continue to do so."

"The type of suffering that the CCP has wrought on the Chinese people during its 57 year reign is indescribable: 80 million people have died unnatural deaths. Today, countless Falun Gong practitioners are kept in labour camps, prisons, hospitals ... without a legal basis and they are slaughtered for profit as part of the organ trade."

On September the 7th 2006, the European Parliament unanimously passed a resolution for a report of the EU-China relations, calling on the Chinese regime to release Falun Gong practitioner Bu Dongwei, lawyer Gao Zhisheng and other human rights defenders. The resolution was initiated by Charles Tannock MEP, Edward McMillan-Scott MEP and Simon Coveney MEP.

On the morning of September 4th, in Sergel Hotel at downtown Stockholm, Sweden, Helena Bargholtz, representative of the Swedish People's Party and Member of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, and Gran Lindblad, member of the Council of Europe, hosted a forum with a theme "Investigating the allegation about CCP's live organ harvesting from Falun Gong practitioners". Members of Parliament across the parties attended the forum.

Mr. David Howarth, a member of parliament representing the city of Cambridge, delivered a speech on August 15th, calling upon the UK government and all of the western governments to participate in the investigation of organ harvesting from live Falun Gong practitioners by the Chinese Communist regime. Mr. Howarth is associated with the Liberal Democrats.

During meetings, a few Mayors verbally expressed their support. The deputy mayor of Poprad, Mr. Gustav Dobak stated, that it is strange that the world has condemned fascism, but communism, which lead to at least as many victims as fascism, hasn't been publicly condemned. During a meeting with the Mayor of Kezmarok, a middle-sized tourist city in eastern Slovakia, Mr. Ingor Satlava, expressed his support by signing the petition. He also asked the representatives of the local media to help us by informing the public and support thus the human rights in the world.

"... evidence coherently exposes the extremely severe human rights violations in China. I recently have been informed about an especially appalling thing happening at some detention centres ... it is said that they harvest organs from living persons who are not willing to donate their organs and then cremate their remains. I want to know if the departments of the French government have obtained related information about the situation stated above ..."

"It is estimated that over the past seven years, nearly 3,000 people have been killed as a result of the persecution against Falun Gong practitioners. In addition, 6,000 have been sent to prison and 100,000 sent to forced labour camps. This represents a gross violation of human rights by the Chinese government. I have stated before that if China is serious about playing an increasingly important role in world affairs, the human rights situation must be addressed as a priority. It is wholly unacceptable that abuse of political dissidents and followers of peaceful spiritual groups such as Falun Gong are persecuted in the ways described."

“I share your concerns about human rights and religious freedoms in China. The treatment meted out to Falun Gong practitioners is particularly disturbing. The British Government must ensure that it does not allow trade and diplomatic considerations to blind it to the desperate situations many Chinese face. These are not issues that can be ignored indefinitely.”

A French senator asked his assistant to send an email message to the French Office of the Coalition to Investigate the Persecution of Falun Gong in China (CIPFG) on July 12th 2006. The message indicated: "The senator felt indignant over the brutal and bloody atrocities happening in China (referring to the Chinese Communist regime's harvesting organ from living Falun Gong practitioners). The senator will receive CIPFG members in his office in due course."

On July 14th and 15th 2006, David Kilgour, former Secretary of State (Asia-Pacific) for Canada, met with German politicians in Berlin. On Friday July14th, Mr. Kilgour had long conversations with Minister of Foreign Affairs Mr. Gerberlich and the new Human Rights Commissioner Mr. Nook. Mr. Kilgour and Canadian human rights lawyer David Matas recently released a report confirming that the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) is harvesting organs from live Falun Gong practitioners to sell for profit. Mr. Kilgour shared the findings of his investigation with the German ministers.

"The United Nations’ annual report on China has since 1999 consistently documented widespread human rights violations committed by the Chinese communist regime against Falun Gong practitioners in China. Such violations include illegal arrests and detentions, brainwashing, torture and killing. Now, the atrocities have culminated into the most despicable crime of all – removing organs from living Falun Gong practitioners held as prisoners of conscience n China’s gulag-like network of jails and labour camps, and selling them at huge profit to unsuspecting victims worldwide who are in desperate need of transplants. The UN owes the world an enquiry."

"I am writing to support the call of the British Transplantation Society Ethics Committee for an international investigation into organ harvesting in China. Like many, I have been shocked by stories coming out of China of organ matching and transplant, without consent, from condemned prisoners. The abuses appear particularly to centre on members of the persecuted Falun Gong sect. This has been widely documented by Amnesty International and many journalists working in China."

On July 12th 2006, the vice president of the European Parliament Human Rights Branch Committee, Dr. Charles Tannock, the Human Rights spokesman for the European Parliament EEP-ED, Mr. Simon Coveney, along with the vice president of the European Parliament, Mr. Edward McMillan-Scott, jointly signed to submit an interpellation to the European Parliament Committee, asking the Committee to further investigate the allegations regarding Falun Gong practitioners having their organs harvested in China.

Former Canadian Secretary of State for the Asia-Pacific region Mr. David Kilgour held a press conference in Brussels. The press conference was regarding the Chinese Communist regime's barbaric practice of harvesting organs from living Falun Gong practitioners in China. He was joined by Vice-President of the European Parliament Mr. Edward McMillan-Scott and Belgium human rights lawyer Mr. George-Henry Beauthier.

A French senator asked his assistant to send an email message to the French Office of the Coalition to Investigate the Persecution of Falun Gong in China (CIPFG) on July 12th, 2006. The message said that the senator felt indignant over the brutal and bloody atrocities happening in China (referring to the Chinese Communist regime’s harvesting organ from living Falun Gong practitioners). The senator also said that he will receive CIPFG members in his office in due course.

"On 21 May in a hotel room in Beijing I held a meeting with Mr Cao Dong, a Falun Gong practitioner (aged 36), who has served time in prison for his religious beliefs. He had discharged his sentence and was guilty of no crime. Following this meeting, he was arrested and he has not been seen since. I fear for his welfare. His flatmate was arrested and questioned for five days and Mr Dong's possessions have been seized by the police."

"Thank you for your letter on the appalling subjects of harvesting organs for transplantation from prisoners in China. We happened to have our Council meeting yesterday in London, and we discussed the papers you sent us. It will not surprise you to know that we fully support your efforts in condemning this practice, and we support the British Transplantation Society’s call for a UN and WHO investigation.”

Since the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) has persecuted Falun Gong practitioners and tortures large amounts of Falun Gong practitioners to death, breaks up countless happy families, furthermore, what makes people the most afraid is the huge amount of Falun Gong practitioners’ disappearance. Especially when the crime of the concentration camps was revealed to the world such as harvesting Falun Gong practitioners’ organs, people paid more attention to those Falun Gong practitioners whose whereabouts were unknown during the persecution against Falun Gong for many years.

"Although Falun Gong is not a Christian organisation or movement, they still deserve the solidarity of Christians. Falun Gong has chosen values for their banners which are sacred to us Christians as well. In general, we must regard the freedom of religion as a supreme value for which we should be willing to fight no matter where in Austria, in China, or in any other country on earth. The Falun Gong artists are offering this exhibition to the world because they want to open our eyes to this shocking reality."

"Today, everyone is interested in China, everyone want a piece of China’s pie. Everyone wants to trade with China and no one wants to burn their fingers when it comes to human rights in China. Everyone wants to cut a deal, so the human rights situation in China is brushed under the carpet. Therefore, we want to expose the human rights problems with our art and tell everyone that human rights are violated in China. Since the 1960s, everything spiritual and groups that smell just a little of religious doctrine are persecuted and banned in China".

"Again art,artists and intellectuals have to take on the task that politics is unable to achieve: To constantly expose how the Chinese government runs roughshod over the human rights of the Chinese people and we are referring to 100 million people at this time. Dear ladies and gentlemen we in Payerbach can help, even if just a little, to achieve the end of human rights violations. Please, look at these pictures ... These pictures tell you more than any media report in the entire world can tell you".

“I will certainly do all I can to try to bring these practices to an end. A key demand which could help tackle the abuse of prisoners and other human rights issues is for Amnesty and other human rights organisations to be able to visit China, meet people and make reports. I urged the Minister responding to the debate to raise this and the other human rights issues, when he visits China in the near future.”

The cultural association ARS CARA (Austrian Association for Art and Cultural Exchange in China) held an exhibition with the title Truthfulness, Compassion, Tolerance at a café in Vienna’s 7th district. A great number of people attended the opening ceremony on June 12th. Speakers at the ceremony were district director Blimbinger, and Leopold, head of the International Society for Human Rights (ISHR) China taskforce. Leopold's speech is reproduced below.

"The MEP's intervention comes after reports of mass harvesting of organs from Falun Gong practitioners held in a Chinese concentration camp. According to the Chinese reports, organs are removed from prisoners whilst they are still alive and their bodies then destroyed in on-site crematorium. Previous media coverage has exposed similar practices at Suijatun camp in Liaoning Province. As well as being a horrific breach of human rights, any use of executed prisoners' organs contravenes a 1998 European Parliamentary resolution which condemned the practice..."

"I have received your letter on June the 4th calling my attention to the persecution of Falun Gong practitioners. Your letter has raised my awareness of this issue. I have taken a note of it. As a reply, I would like to tell you that I have made an enquiry to the Minister of Foreign Affairs over this issue. I would contact you as soon as he replies to me. I have much sympathy over your cause, since it concerns religious freedom in China".

One MEP wrote: “Thank you for your letter of 4th June regarding an independent investigation into allegations of organ harvesting from prisoners in China. I share your concerns about reports of this appalling and barbaric practice. As you know the European Parliament has passed several resolutions condemning it and called for improvements in China’s human rights record. I am one of the more active MEPs pressing for change in this area and will be pleased to continue to raise the issue wherever I am able.”

"With the World Cup well under way in Germany, across the world Beijing is preparing to host the 2008 Olympics. But if what I was told there recently by former prisoners is true, the civilised world must shun China. In a dingy hotel room with the curtains drawn, the men I met told of brutal persecution of their spiritual movement and worse, the sale of living organs, to order. Along with my interpreter, the men were rapidly arrested, detained and questioned for the 'crime' of meeting me. One practitioner is still missing and it is feared that he is being tortured."

European Friends of Falun Gong received some replies from MEPs, local councillors and Unions condemning the organ harvesting on living Falun Gong practitioners in China conducted by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). European Commissioner Ferrero-Waldner replied that the Commission “will investigate the case further”. She also said “I can reassure you that, should these allegations be confirmed, the Commission would urgently address the issue with its Chinese counterpart in the most appropriate manner and in the first place in the framework of the EU-China bilateral dialogue on human rights.”

"I think your article clearly points out what the symbols of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), the hammer and sickle, really mean. The hammer is a symbol of ‘death’ [The German word for death starts with a capital ‘T’ which looks like a hammer] and the sickle stands for ‘greed and desire’ [the German word for ‘greed’ also starts with a capital ‘G’, which looks like a sickle]. Their motto seems to be: Bludgeon everyone to death who is not for us, cut them into pieces and sell each piece for profit, never mind what everyone else thinks about it.”

"The first story I read about Falun Gong dealt with gang rape in the Masanjia Labour camp. I simply can’t imagine how one person can do such a thing to another living being. These types of cruelties are happening in our modern times? I simply refused to believe it when I was reading the first few lines. However, with every new article, I became more certain of the truth behind it. I am most disturbed that I learned about all of this so late!"

"I read the article about Mrs. Liu Jizhi with deep sadness in my heart. I hope with all my heart and from the depths of my soul that she has somehow managed to make it out of this terrible place. During the last week, I have been praying that she wouldn’t have to suffer additional pain. When I read that Mrs. Jizhi was arrested again, I felt great sorrow. I only wish that I could do something other than merely inform the others around me about the situation and to support Mrs. Liu Jizhi in my thoughts."

"The condition of prisoners in China is increasingly well-known but it is only in recent months that a particular mistreatment - of Falun Gong practitioners - has come to light, namely the selection of prisoners for 'reverse-match' organ and tissue transplants, leading to their deaths. This is genocide, as defined in Article 2 of the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide..."

The exhibition grandly opened in Helsinki on May the 30th. Parliament member and former MEP Ms. Heidi Hautala said in her opening speech that she hoped the exhibition will help people see the human rights situation in China. The exhibition was later visited by Vice-President of the European Parliament Mr. Edward McMillan-Scott.

The Mayor's speech praised China's traditional culture, respected the moral values of "truthfulness, compassion, forbearance" advocated by Falun Gong, and condemned the persecution of Falun Gong by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). He also hoped that the photo exhibition would bring the truth to more people. After the speeches, Falun Gong practitioners candidly exchanged views with the Mayor and reporters.

The mayor said, "I know all about Falun Gong. He looked at me, probably not expecting anyone in his city to practise Falun Gong. I showed him some materials about the Chinese Communist Party taking organs from living victims, including Falun Gong practitioners. He looked for a moment and said, "Too terrible, too terrible. These people are too bad; I will read this material carefully." I also told him some experiences of mine; he listened with attention. I finally said that just because of this, I have not seen my daughter for seven years. The Mayor's wife said: "This is one of the most intolerable things. Thank you for telling us your story."

At the beginning of May, Falun Gong practitioners held the Truthfulness, Compassion, Forbearance International Art Exhibition in Vytautas University, Kaunas city. Several Lithuanian political heavyweights attended the art exhibition and condemned the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) for its persecution of Falun Gong.

Belgian MPs Jan Peumans and Jan Loones published an open letter demanding an investigation into the harvest of organs in Chinese concentration camps, their sale fro transplant operations, and the subsequent cremation of bodies. The letter demanded that European governments take immediate action, utilising all possible avenues to stop this new round of genocide from happening in mainland China.