July 7, 2006 Friday

The Conservative government is planning to investigate allegations in a new report the Chinese government and its agencies are torturing religious prisoners and harvesting their organs, Tory MP Deepak Obhrai indicated Thursday.

"We take these allegations quite seriously, and we'll look into that," said Obhrai, who is parliamentary secretary to Foreign Affairs Minister Peter MacKay.

"We'll look to have it confirmed."

The report, prepared by former Alberta MP David Kilgour and international human rights lawyer David Matas, included transcripts of recorded conversations in Mandarin with hospital and detention-centre officials who admitted they had organs available for transplants from Falun Gong prisoners.

The Chinese government banned the practice of Falun Gong in the country in 1999, and rounded up its members accusing them of anti-government activities.

"What we've got here is a new, shocking, different form of evil," said Matas at a news conference.

"The Chinese Communist party sees the Falun Gong as an ideological threat to the regime, because of the large numbers, the ability to mobilize a large group of people, their commitment and their tenacity."

Obhrai said the government had already been concerned about the issue before the report was released, asking the United Nations Special Rapporteur on Torture to look into allegations of organ harvesting and human rights violations.

Conservative caucus chairperson Rahim Jaffer said he also plans to urge the foreign affairs minister to take action.

"This report has concluded what many of us feared," said Jaffer. "I hope to have that discussion with Peter MacKay soon, and then see what action our government can take."

Jaffer, 34, said he has always felt obliged to fight for human rights, ever since he came to Canada as an infant with his family to escape persecution in Uganda.

"We were very fortunate to come to Canada which welcomed us with open arms and gave us a real opportunity here," he said.

"Because of that experience, for myself, I think I'm now in a position in government where we can take strong stands and encourage the change of behaviour in some of these countries, especially when it comes to human rights," said the caucus chairperson.

[...]

The report recommends the Canadian government revoke passports of citizens suspected of travelling to China for transplants and stop Chinese doctors from studying transplants in Canada.

"It's not like these allegations are brought out of thin air," said Jaffer.

"I think it's one of those things that shows there is a significant problem clearly, and from that there needs to be some significant action taken."