Subcommittee on International Human Rights Committee on Oct. 21st, 2014

[Ethan Gutmann]

The problem is that if you have two factions and they're both gunning for each other, once you start admitting anything it becomes a slippery slope to some kind of prosecution, investigation, and so forth. That's my understanding of this. I don't have absolute proof for what I'm saying; this is just my interpretation.

[The Chair, Conservative, Scott Reid]

Thank you.

Dr. Noto, do you have any comments?

[Dr. Damon Noto]

Further to his point, I think a lot of the hope among the Falun Gong community and also the transplant community is that once Xi Jinping, the new president, came in.... It was largely Jiang Zemin's regime that started the organ harvesting and there was the hope that once that regime left, there would be the possibility of really talking to this new regime about stopping it. But that hasn't seemed to take place and I believe it's probably because, as he's saying, once you start exposing or admitting any of it, it's like a little piece that's open and it just spirals. So I don't think they've been able to get a handle on how to deal with this issue.

[The Chair, Conservative, Scott Reid]

Thank you very much, that's very helpful.

We've gone a little over time. I'll just mention before I gavel the session shut that Mr. Gutmann and Dr. Noto will be appearing tomorrow at a public meeting at 12:15 p.m. at 268 La Promenade building, or as we now call it, the Valour building. That's a meeting co-hosted by Mr. Marston, Professor Cotler, and me. I look forward to seeing as many of you there as possible. This has been a very informative session. We're very grateful indeed that you could be here.

Thank you.

The meeting is adjourned.