A campaign to stop the forced harvesting of organs in China has gained almost 100 signatures of support during its stopover in Albury.
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The Border was part of a 100-city car tour to collect postcards to send to Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull ahead of September’s G20 Summit in China.
The killing of Chinese people to sell their organs was on the radar of international governments after the release of a human rights report in June.
The report claimed the primary target of murders were people who were incarcerated for practising Falun Gong – a traditional spiritual discipline first condemned by communist leaders in the 1990s.
When people are in jail, the police would sell the parts of their body to make money.
- Advocate Leon Li
Among the group of advocates collecting signatures on Thursday was Brian Yan, who brought his 89-year-old mother, Fuying Li, on the tour to share her story.
“She practised Falun Gong outside in the park in Hong Kong and got put in jail for two days,” he said.
“She was put in jail for one week again because she was still practising it.
“I brought my mother over to Australia in 2000 and she has never gone back.”
Xiaofang Wang also shared her story with passersby outside of the Kiewa Street council office – through Leon Li’s translation.
Mr Li said the 72-year-old was tortured in a labor camp in 2001.
“She underwent a medical test – blood and full-body, not for her health, but in preparation for organ harvesting,” he said.
“When people are in jail, the police would sell the parts of their body to make money.
“This is the reason we have come here, to stop this happening.”
The United States House of Representatives called for a stop to organ harvesting in June, after the Chinese government’s claims of 10,000 annual organ transplants were revealed to actually be in the vicinity of 60,000 to 100,000.
Mr Li said the Sydney-based group began touring in Goulburn on Monday and would head to Melbourne to push the federal government to call for organ harvesting of prisoners of conscience to stop.
“People have been shocked, especially in Wagga, and have signed the petition,” he said.
“We’re trying to tell our stories and for people to open their eyes and see what’s happening in China.”