Organ Transplants and Crimes Against Humanity In China: An Australian Issue
Please join ALHR at an expert panel discussion with Q&A: ‘Organ Transplants and Crimes Against Humanity In China: An Australian Issue’
The evening will include a screening of the short film, “The China Tribunal Final Judgement”
A shortage of organ donors worldwide is undeniable and travelling overseas for a transplant is on the rise. The medical and legal implications of sourcing organs overseas are significant, and often result in breaches of fundamental human rights. For at least two decades, the government of China has been accused of forcibly harvesting organs from prisoners of conscience, principally Falun Gong practitioners and Uyghur Muslims – killing the victim in the process. In June 2019 the China Tribunal, an independent people’s tribunal chaired by Sir Geoffrey Nice QC, concluded that forced organ harvesting in China has been committed for years on a significant scale and continues today. The Tribunal also found, beyond reasonable doubt, that China has committed crimes against humanity against Falun Gong and the Uyghurs.
In China a prolific organ transplant trade is flourishing, leading unquestionably to what can be called one of humanity’s greatest tragedies. For Australians and businesses, this raises serious issues of human rights and concerns for complicity in crimes against humanity. Join a panel of experts who will discuss the business and human rights implications of forced organ harvesting in China, modern slavery obligations for Australian businesses, the United Nations’ human rights treaties and mechanisms, and Australia’s responsibility to protect and promote human rights.
Join a panel of experts who will discuss the business and human rights implications of forced organ harvesting in China, modern slavery obligations for Australian businesses, the United Nations’ human rights treaties and mechanisms, and Australia’s responsibility to protect and promote human rights
Monday 18 November 2019, 6:00pm – 7:30pm
Theatrette, NSW Parliament House, 6 Macquarie Street Sydney NSW 2000
BOOK HERE
GUEST SPEAKERS & TOPICS (see full bios below)
CHAIR – MADELEINE BRIDGETT- Co-Chair of the Business and Human Rights Subcommittee, Australian Lawyers for Human Rights
THE CHINA TRIBUNAL – SUSIE HUGHES – Executive Director & Co-founder, International Coalition To End Transplant Abuse in China (ETAC)
A UNITED NATIONS ISSUE – ELIZABETH EVATT AC – Former member of the United Nations Human Rights Committee
A MODERN SLAVERY ISSUE – CAROLYN KITTO – Co-director, Be Slavery Free (formerly Stop The Traffik)
A LEGAL ISSUE, COMPLICITY – DR DAVID MATAS – International Human Rights Lawyer & Co-founder, International Coalition To End Transplant Abuse in China (ETAC)
A BUSINESS & HUMAN RIGHTS ISSUE – DR. MARTIJN BOERSMA – Lecturer in Management at UTS Business School and co-author of the book Addressing Modern Slavery (2019).
AN ETHICAL ISSUE – PROF WENDY ROGERS – Professor of Bioethics, Advisory Member, International Coalition To End Transplant Abuse in China (ETAC)
A MEDICAL ISSUE – PROF MARIA FIATARONE SINGH – Professor of Medicine, Advisory Board Member of Doctors Against Forced Organ Harvesting
A FALUN GONG COMMUNITY ISSUE – JINTAO LIU (TONY) – Falun Gong Practitioner who was detained in China
A UYGHUR COMMUNITY ISSUE – OMIR BEKALI (speech via video call) – Uyghur who was detained in China
HOSTED BY – DAVID SHOEBRIDGE MLC
SUPPORTING ORGANISATIONS:
Australian Lawyers for Human Rights (ALHR)
Be Slavery Free (formerly Stop The Traffik)
Anti-Slavery Australia
Australian Uyghur Association
East Turkestan Association of Australia
Falun Dafa Association of Australia
Doctors Against Forced Organ Harvesting (DAFOH)
Sydney Uyghur Women’s Group
International Coalition To End Transplant Abuse In China (ETAC)
SPEAKER BIOS
OMIR BEKALI (speech via video call)
Omir Bekali is a Uyghur from Kazakhstan who was arrested in March 2017 whilst visiting his parents in Pichan, Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region. An operator in a tourism company at the time, he was accused of terrorist activity and detained without trial until January 2018. Omir testified to the China Tribunal that he was tortured, and forced to have blood tests and organ examinations whilst in detention. He now speaks internationally to bring attention to the Uyghur crisis in China.
MADELEINE BRIDGETT
Madeleine Bridgett is an international human rights barrister. She is the Co-Chair of the Business and Human Rights Subcommittee for Australian Lawyers for Human Rights and a member of the Human Rights Committee for the NSW Bar Association. Madeleine has published work in both national and international journals and has presented at conferences globally. She is known for her fearless and unrelenting advocacy in the areas of human rights and international law.
DR. MARTIJN BOERSMA
Martijn Boersma is a lecturer in the Management Department at the University of Technology Sydney Business School. He is interested in the intersection of business and society and has extensively published on these topics. He co-authored the book Addressing Modern Slavery (2019).
ELIZABETH EVATT AC
1976 –1988: Chief Judge of the Family Court of Australia
1988 – 1993: President of the Australian Law Reform Commission
1984 – 1992: Member of the United Nations Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination 1989 – 1991: Chaired of the United Nations Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination 1993 – 2000: Member of the UN Human Rights Committee
2003 – 2018: Commissioner of the International Commission of Jurists
Currently she is a member of the Women’s Advisory Committee of the NSW Corrective Services Commission, and a board member of Sisterhood is Global.
PROF MARIA FIATARONE SINGH
Prof. Maria Fiatarone Singh, MD, FRACP is a geriatrician who holds the John Sutton Chair of Exercise and Sport Science in the Faculty of Health Science, and Professor, Sydney Medical School at the University of Sydney. Her research, clinical, and teaching career has focused on the integration of medicine, exercise physiology, and nutrition as a means to improve health status and quality of life across the lifespan, with a focus on frail elders. She has published extensively in her field and also researched and presented on the issue of forced organ harvesting in China since 2008. She has been on the Medical Advisory Board of the NGO, Doctors Against Forced Organ Harvesting since 2008, and is a member of the Australian Committee of the International Coalition To End Transplant Abuse in China.
SUSIE HUGHES
Susie Hughes is executive director and co-founder of the International Coalition To End Transplant Abuse In China (ETAC) She has extensive experience in the not for profit human rights sector focusing on the issue of forced organ harvesting from prisoners of conscience in China. Susie was a member of the ETAC Steering Committee responsible for initiating the China Tribunal and contributed pro bono as director of logistics for the China Tribunal. She has hosted numerous roundtable discussions, Q&A forums and online seminars on forced organ harvesting in China.
CAROLYN KITTO
Co-Director of Be Slavery Free (formerly Stop The Traffik) Be Slavery Free is a coalition of civil society groups which seeks to prevent, disrupt and abolish modern slavery in all its forms. Together they inform consumers, advocate to government and request businesses to make changes for slavery-free supply chains.
JINTAO LIU (TONY)
Jintao Liu is a practitioner of the Buddha School practice of Falun Gong. He began practicing at a time when Falun Gong was promoted by the Chinese Government for its health benefits, and people could practice freely in the parks and public spaces. In 2006 whilst completing a Masters degree in Chemical Technology, police arrested him and without a trial Jintao was detained for 2 years in a forced labour/re-education facility during which time he was tortured to force him to renounce his faith in Falun Gong. Jintao testified to the China Tribunal that he also received forced blood tests and organ examinations whilst in detention. Jintao now advocates to help others in the Falun Gong community who are still severely persecuted in China.
DR DAVID MATAS
Dr David Matas is an international human rights lawyer, author and researcher. He has served the government of Canada in numerous positions including as member of the Canadian delegation to the United Nations Conference on an International Criminal Court; the Task Force for International Cooperation on Holocaust Education, Remembrance and Research; and the Organisation on Security and Cooperation in Europe Conferences on Antisemitism and Intolerance. He has received numerous awards and honours, including the Manitoba Bar Association Distinguished Service Award in 2008 and the Order of Canada in 2009. He co-authored the first investigation into forced organ harvesting in China in 2006 and An Update report in 2016.
PROF WENDY ROGERS
Prof. Wendy Rogers is a Professor of Clinical Ethics and Deputy Director of the Macquarie University Research Centre for Agency, Values and Ethics. She has a long-standing interest in the ethics of organ donation and transplantation and has made major contributions to the National Health and Medical Research Council’s ethical guidelines for organ and tissue donation and national guidance on donation after circulatory death. Wendy’s work is widely published in international journals and she was recently named Australia’s Research Field Leader for bioethics.
Additional information links
China Tribuanl speech at the UN Human Rights Council by Mr Hamid Sabi – 2 mins https://www.youtube.com/
Over 160 media articles on the China Tribunal judgment and UN statement https://press.
FOX: https://www.foxnews.com/
Sydney Morning Herald: https://www.smh.com.
ALHR: Australian Government should act following findings of Independent tribunal on forced organ harvesting in China https://alhr.org.au/forced-organ-harvesting/
ALHR: Compassion, not commerce, is key to combatting organ trafficking: https://alhr.org.au/organ-trafficking-report/
ALHR: Human rights lawyers call for Australia to take action on organ trafficking and organ tourism: https://alhr.org.au/callactionorgatrafficking/ and https://alhr.org.au/inquiry-human-organ-trafficking-organ-transplant-tourism/