The Coalition to Investigate the Persecution of Falun Gong in China (CIPFG) is an international non-governmental organization

Non-governmental organization

A non-governmental organization is a legally constituted organization created by natural or legal persons that operates independently from any government. The term originated from the United Nations , and is normally used to refer to organizations that do not form part of the government and are...

 established in the United States

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

 on April 5, 2006 by the Falun Dafa Association. The organization also has offices in Canada

Canada

Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...

. In 2006, the organization issued a report authored by former Canadian Secretary of State for the Asia-Pacific region David Kilgour

David Kilgour

David Kilgour, PC is a former Canadian politician.Kilgour graduated from the University of Manitoba in economics in 1962 and the University of Toronto law school in 1966. From crown attorney in northern Alberta to Canadian Cabinet minister, Kilgour ended his 27 year tenure in the Canadian House of...

 and attorney David Matas

David Matas

David Matas is the senior legal counsel of B'nai Brith Canada. He has maintained a private practice in refugee, immigration and human rights law since 1979. He has published various books and manuscripts and currently resides in Winnipeg....

 implicating hospitals and jails throughout China for being involved in organ harvesting.

History

In December 2006, the Australian government responded to the newly formed CIPFG's petition alleging unethical organ transplant procedures in China by announcing the abolition of training programs for Chinese doctors in organ transplant procedures in the Prince Charles and the Princess Alexandra Hospitals as well as ending their joint research programs into organ transplantation with China.

The Coalition to Investigate the Persecution of Falun Gong organized the international Global Human Rights Torch Relay that traveled through 150 cities in 35 countries of Europe, Asia, North America and Australasia to support a boycott of the 2008 Beijing Olympics

2008 Summer Olympics

The 2008 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XXIX Olympiad, was a major international multi-sport event that took place in Beijing, China, from August 8 to August 24, 2008. A total of 11,028 athletes from 204 National Olympic Committees competed in 28 sports and 302 events...

. The relay started in Athens on 9 August 2007, one year before the start of the Olympic Games. According to CIPFG, the role of the Human Rights Torch Relay is to raise awareness of Human rights in the People's Republic of China

Human rights in the People's Republic of China

Human rights in the People's Republic of China are a matter of dispute between the Chinese government, other countries, international NGOs, and dissidents inside the country. Organizations such as the U.S. State Department, Amnesty International, and Human Rights Watch have accused the Chinese...

, especially the persecution of Falun Gong

Persecution of Falun Gong

The persecution of Falun Gong refers to the campaign initiated by the Chinese Communist Party against practitioners of Falun Gong since July 1999, aimed at eliminating the practice in the People's Republic of China...

. Some celebrities participated in the march, such as Chen Kai, a former member of China’s national basketball

Basketball

Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...

team.

External links

• http://www.cipfg.org/