WOIPFG’s Investigative Report on the Alleged Organ Harvesting of Living Falun Gong Practitioners at the PLA General Hospital of the Southern Military Command and Its Staff Members Suspected of Participation

Nov 9,2022

Preface

As early as 2006,WOIPFG investigators discovered through a telephone investigation on Zhu Yunsong, chief of urology at the General Hospital of Guangzhou Military Command of PLA, that Falun Gong practitioners were used as organ transplant donors (Investigation Recording 1.) In a 2017 telephone investigation by WOIPFG on Pu Miaoshui, a liver transplant surgeon at the Guangzhou Military Region General Hospital, Pu’s responses again confirmed that organs were harvested from live Falun Gong practitioners (Investigation recording 2.), and in addition, the practice has been supported by Chinese Communist Party (CCP) government[1].

I. Hospital Profile

General Hospital of the Southern Military Command of the People's Liberation Army (PLA) (formerly the General Hospital of Guangzhou Military Command of PLA) was built in 1933. After 70 years, it has become a large modern comprehensive hospital integrating practice in medical treatment, teaching, scientific research, illness prevention, health care and rehabilitation. It is one of the first tertiary level-A hospitals in mainland China and in the Chinese Communist military[2] and serves as the teaching institute for 14 medical schools. It is also one of the first batch of hospitals designated as public medical institutes and hospitals accepting medical insurance in Guangzhou city and Guangdong Province. The hospital covers an area of 210,000 square meters, with 64 specialties and 1,836 ward beds[3].

II. Transplant Center Profile

1. General Hospital of Guangzhou Military Command of PLA is the largest urology base in South China and is at the forefront of liver transplant in Guangdong Province

In 2005, the General Hospital of Guangzhou Military Command of PLA received approval to establish the Guangzhou Military Urology Research Institute. In 2008, it was awarded Guangdong’s Specialty Program by the provincial government. Currently, it stands as the largest urology department in Guangdong province and the region’s largest base for urology related education, research, treatment, and prevention, and includes a post-doc research station. At present, there is one Ph.D. supervisor, three master’s degree supervisors, one person with State Council allowance, two persons with military allowance, one military general-rank specialist, four key personnel from Guangzhou Military Region, one well-known surgeon from the military region, one outbound post-doctor, six doctors (with Ph.D.’s), eight persons with master’s degrees, and 10 Ph.D. or master’s degree candidates.

The hospital started to conduct cadaveric kidney transplant since 1981 and has conducted over 1,000 transplants. Currently, around 150 transplants are conducted each year[4].

The hospital’s Hepatobiliary Surgery Department’s Liver Transplant Center has become one of the most technically strong and comprehensive organ transplant centers[5]. In 2011, the hospital established the first organ procurement organization (OPO) in China[6].

2. China's first OPO was inaugurated at the Guangzhou General Hospital of Guangzhou Military Region. In the same year, this hospital was involved in organ trafficking.

On July 11, 2011, China’s first OPO was inaugurated at the Guangzhou General Hospital of Guangzhou Military Region.[7] in the presence of Huang Jiefu, then Vice Minister of Health, and Wang Haibo, Director of the National Center for Organ Donation and Transplantation, who reported that the hospital "has generated or participated in more than 30 cases of organ donation over the years. It has carried out the first organ allocation using the organ allocation and sharing system in China and the first case of heart death organ allocation and sharing using the system. According to experts from the Chinese Communist Party's Ministry of Health, these national firsts are epoch-making cases for China's organ transplant business and mark the official launch of China's fair, just and open national organ allocation and sharing system."

However, an investigation by WOIPFG revealed that doctors at the hospital claimed that there were organs from Falun Gong practitioners and that, according to Chinese police, the hospital was involved in a major organ trafficking case in the same year it was listed as an OPO, with 21 organs coming from a kidney trafficking ring, but the hospital claimed that they were "voluntary donations. (See back three, web screenshots for details)

III. More details on this hospital's involvement in organ trafficking

On August 10, 2014, The Beijing News report, "Gang Removed kidneys from 23 Donors for trafficking, Kidneys Air Transported in Name of Seafood,[8]" stated that a police investigation found that General Hospital of Guangzhou Military Command of PLA was involved in a mega case of donor captive and organ trafficking, and that "between October 2011 and February 2012, a kidney trafficking gang led by Chen Feng had procured kidneys from 23 captives. Among the 23 removed kidneys, 21 arrived at General Hospital of Guangzhou Military Command of PLA for transplant." It is worth noting that not only was Zhu Yunsong, then deputy director of the kidney transplant department, dismissed as a "separate case", but also when the Beijing News reporter called the person in charge of the organ transplant department to ask about the formal procedures that the hospital should follow to perform organ transplant, the person in charge refused to be interviewed. The reporter’s call was based on the statement that "according to the law, before organ transplant, the Clinical Academic and Ethics Committee has to review the legality of the source of the organ."

Figure 1 The Beijing News report reproduced by Sina revealed that General Hospital of Guangzhou Military Command of PLA was involved in organ trafficking.

Investigation Recording 1.

Zhu Yunsong from General Hospital of Guangzhou Military Command of PLA:

"Yes, then you come over．＂

Subject of Investigation: Zhu Yunsong, the director of the organ transplant

department at the General Hospital of Guangzhou Military Command of the PLA

Date: April 12, 2006 (phone number:0118613602703460, 011862036222653)

The following is part of the audio recording of WOIPFG investigator's investigation of Zhu Yunsong.

Investigator: “If you could obtain Falun Gong practitioner kidney in this period of time, let me know, okay?”

Zhu: “No problem. Then you come over here.”
(Recording 1: MP3; Transcript Download: pdf5)

Excerpts from a recorded conversation between a WOIPFG investigator and Zhu Yunsong:

Investigator: “Is that Director Zhu of General Hospital of Guangzhou Military Command of the PLA?”
Zhu: “Yes, who is speaking?”

Investigator: “I work for the No. 304 Hospital from Beijing, and I have two relatives here. Right now we do not have enough kidney supplies. We used to do lots of such surgeries in years 2001, 2002, 2003...”
Zhu: “Yes, I know.”

Investigator: “We found that kidneys from young donors are good. Another thing is that the kidneys from Falun Gong detainees are relatively good. Do you have this kind of kidney sources from Falun Gong detainees?”
Zhu: “We do not have many Falun Gong (practitioners’ kidney sources).”

Investigator: “You still have some of this kind (of kidneys from Falun Gong practitioners)?”
Zhu: “It is not difficult to find Type B kidneys (from Falun Gong practitioner donors). If you want, you can come. We can do it pretty soon, definitely can be arranged before May 1.”

Investigator: “Do you have one batch prior to May 1?”
Zhu: “We will have several batches.”

Investigator: “How about after May 1?”
Zhu: “If you wait until after May 1, it will likely to be after May 20.”

Investigator: “If you could obtain Falun Gong practitioner’s kidney in this period of time, let me know, okay?”
Zhu: “No problem. You come over and we can talk then...”

Investigative Recording 2

Investigation Subject: Doctor Pu Miaoshui, liver transplant doctor at General Hospital of Guangzhou Military Command of the PLA

Date: January 23, 2017 (Phone number: +86+13682253550)

Investigator: Can you still use organs from death-row inmates and (Falun) Gong practitioners?

Pu Miaoshui: “[The use of organs from death-row inmates and (Falun) Gong practitioners] was legal before, now it is not illegal either, but now there is state regulation saying it can’t be done. It does not work when the state says no. It is not an issue of legality.” [9]

(Recording 2. Download: MP3; Transcript Download: pdf 27)

V. The Hospital Can Perform Urgent Liver Transplant

Investigative Recording 3

Investigation Subject: Liver Transplantation Doctor at General Hospital of Guangzhou Military Command of the PLA

Date: November 7, 2017 (Phone number: +86+13682253550)

Key Point of Investigation Results: Doctor: The hospital is qualified to perform emergency liver transplant. In order to (conduct the transplant) quickly, at least you need to get the funding and blood donor prepared. You need to ask ten of your families to donate blood. The speed of transplant depends on how well you prepared for what I just mentioned, not us.”[10]

(Recording 3. Download: MP3; Transcript Download: pdf 42)

VI. Short Waiting Time, Large Number of Transplant, One of the Top Three Hospitals for Transplant

Investigative Recording 4

Investigation Subject: Doctor Pu Miaoshui[11], Liver Transplant, General Hospital of Guangzhou Military Command of the PLA

Date: January 23, 2017 (Phone number: +86+13682253550)

Key Point of Investigation Results: The waiting time is about a month. “There are now temporarily four hospitals in Guangzhou [doing liver transplant]. Our General Hospital, two hospitals affiliated with Sun Yat-sen University, and in Zhongshan, China Southern Airlines Hospital, a total of four hospitals.” “[The use of organs from death-row inmates and (Falun) Gong practitioners] was legal before, now it is not illegal either, but now there is state regulation saying it can’t be done. It does not work when the state says no. It is not an issue of legality.”

(Download Recording 4 MP3; Transcript Download: Addendum 56)

Investigative Recording 5

Investigation Subject: Doctor Zhao Jiqiang[12], Liver Transplant, General Hospital of Guangzhou Military Command of the PLA

Date: March 3, 2017 (+86+ 18002262868)

Key Point of Investigation Results: “[In terms of liver transplantation,] our hospital is one of the top three organ transplant centers in southern China.” “[inmates and (Falun) Gong practitioners] have all been abolished, no more. There are still a lot [of liver transplants], in comparison with the previous situation.”

(Download Recording 5 MP3; Transcript Download: Addendum 57)

Ⅶ. List of Responsible Persons

GZJZ001 Hu Weilie, Male
Profile: Chief Urologist, Director of Urology, Head of Discipline, Director of Military Urology Institute

He graduated from the Fourth Military Medical University in 1985 and has been practicing urology since then. He received his master's degree from the Second Military Medical University in 1991 (supervisor: Prof. Ma Yongjiang) and his doctoral degree from Zhongshan Medical University in 1998 (supervisor: Prof. Mei Hua). In 2004, he went to Southern California University for a short period of study as a participant of the national "Urology Project". In 1999, he was a visiting scholar at Baylor College of Medicine in the U.S.A. In 2004, he went to Southern California University for a short period of time as a participant of the National Urology Program. In 2006, he was invited to give a speech at the first Chinese language session of the 100th Annual Meeting of American Urology in Atlanta, and in 2007, he was included in the history of urology in China. In September 2005, he performed the first penile transplantation in the world and achieved initial success, which caused a sensation in China and abroad and was widely reported[13].

GZJZ002 Lu Jun, Male

Profile: Chief Urologist

He graduated from college in 1984, received his master's degree in 1989, and received his Ph.D. degree from Tongji Medical University in 2007 (supervisor: Prof. Zhangqun Ye).

Engaged in kidney transplantation. Conducted research on the basic and clinical aspects of adrenal transplant[14].

GZJZ003 Nie Haibo, Male

Profile: Deputy Chief Physician of Urology. He is currently the deputy director of Guangzhou Military Region Organ Transplant Society and the standing committee member of Guangdong Organ Transplant Society. He has been engaged in kidney transplantation for 19 years. He completes more than 100 kidney transplants each year[15].

GZJZ004 Zhang Lizhao, Male

Profile: Attending Urologist, Lecturer. Engaged in routine urological procedures such as kidney transplantation, kidney transplant rejection, delayed recovery of transplanted kidney function[16].

GZJZ005 Huo Feng, Male

Profile: Chief Physician of Hepatobiliary Surgery. He has been engaged in clinical work in hepatobiliary surgery for 25 years. Specialized in end-stage liver disease liver transplant[17].

GZJZ006 Zhan Shilin, Male

Profile: Chief physician of hepatobiliary surgery, member of organ transplant committee. He graduated from the People's Liberation Army General Hospital as a postgraduate student. He is specialized in liver transplant[18].

GZJZ007 Pu Miaoshui, Male

Profile: Deputy Chief Physician of Hepatobiliary Surgery, Member of Organ Transplant Committee. He has studied applied clinical anatomy of liver under Professor Shizhen Zhong, a renowned clinical anatomist and member of the Chinese Academy of Engineering. Specialized in in situ liver transplant for end-stage liver disease[19].

GZJZ008 Wang Zhaoping, Male

Profile: Deputy Chief Physician of Hepatobiliary Surgery; Member of Standing Committee of Guangzhou Military Region Organ Transplantation Society, Member of Guangdong Provincial Organ Transplant Professional Committee

In recent years, he is mainly engaged in end-stage liver disease liver transplant and post-operative follow-up rehabilitation[20].

GZJZ009 Chen Jianxiong, Male

Profile: Deputy Chief Physician of Hepatobiliary Surgery, Member of the Organ Transplant Committee of Guangdong Liver Disease Society. He has been engaged in clinical work and research of hepatobiliary surgery for 16 years. Specialized in liver transplant[21].

GZJZ010 Zhang Weida, Male

Profile：Director of Cardiac Surgery Center. He was the Deputy Director of Cardiovascular Surgery Center of the First Affiliated Hospital of the Fourth Military Medical University, Chief Physician, Professor and Postgraduate Instructor, and the Director of Cardiac Surgery Center of General Hospital of Guangzhou Military Command of the PLA in 2006.Completed 29 cases of heart transplant[22].

GZJZ011 Wang Xiaowu, Male.

Profile: Deputy Director of Cardiovascular Surgery Center, Chief Physician. Graduated from the Fourth Military Medical University with a clinical medical degree in cardiovascular surgery. He studied in Singapore to learn the surgical treatment of coronary heart disease.As the main person in charge, he participated in the first heart transplant and combined heart-lung transplant in Northwest China. He has participated in 27 cases of heart transplant[23].

GZJZ012: Ma Tao, Male

Profile: Deputy Chief Physician of Cardiovascular Surgery. He received his undergraduate degree from the Medical Department of the Fourth Military Medical University in 1992, and received his master's and doctoral degrees in surgery (cardiovascular surgery) from the Graduate School of the Fourth Military Medical University in 1997 and 2005, respectively. He has been working in Tangdu Hospital and Xijing Hospital of the Fourth Military Medical University for more than ten years. In 2006, he went to the German Heart Center (Berlin) for professional study.He also participated in many cases of heart procurement for heart transplant, surgery, post-operative monitoring, etc[24].

GZJZ013 Peng LiangHong, Male

Profile: Attending Ophthalmologist.Graduated from the Second Military Medical University with a doctorate degree.

Engaged in corneal transplantation, etc.[25]

Reference：

[1] A WOIPFG Investigation Report on the Chinese Communist Party’s Ongoing Crime of Live Organ Harvesting against Falun Dafa Practitioners

https://www.upholdjustice.org/node/389

[2] Introduction to Guangzhou General Hospital of Guangzhou Military Command, PLA

http://web.archive.org/web/20200924150700/https://www.guahao.com/hospital/introduction/1b20c89d-2c00-40c4-babc-4d34adb80d45000

[3] Recruitment of Guangzhou General Hospital of Guangzhou Military Command, PLA

http://web.archive.org/web/20200922130548/https://m.sohu.com/a/159709524_141228/?pvid=000115_3w_a

[4] Introduction to the Department of Urology, Guangzhou General Hospital of Guangzhou Military Command, PLA

http://www.gzzyy.com/Index/index.php/Sec/index/no/1252379676

WOIPFG Archive link:

http://www.zhuichaguoji.org/cn/images/nationalcriminalreports/719. pdf

[5] Introduction to the Department of Hepatobiliary Surgery, Guangzhou General Hospital of Guangzhou Military Command, PLA

http://www.gzzyy.com/Index/index.php/Sec/index/no/1252379656

WOIPFG Archive link:

http://www.zhuichaguoji.org/cn/images/nationalcriminalreports/729.png

[6] Recruitment of Guangzhou General Hospital of Guangzhou Military Command, PLA

http://web.archive.org/web/20200922130548/https://m.sohu.com/a/159709524_141228/?pvid=000115_3w_a

[7] China Organ Donation Network, reprinted from People.cn: The First Organ Procurement Organization (OPO) in China is Established, July 11, 2011

http://www.organdonation.org.cn/ZZC/2011-07/5811.htm

Archive Link: https://web.archive.org/save/http://www.organdonation.org.cn/ZZC/2011-0…

[8] Sina.com, reprinted from The Beijing News: A Gang Removed and Sold the Kidneys of 23 Donors, Airlifted in the Name of Seafood, August 10, 2014

http://news.sina.com.cn/c/2014-08-10/023930659549.shtml

Archive link:

https://web.archive.org/web/20140811232318/http://news.sina.com.cn/c/20…

[9] A WOIPFG Investigation Report on the Chinese Communist Party’s Ongoing Crime of Live Organ Harvesting against Falun Dafa Practitioners(Ⅲ)

https://www.upholdjustice.org/node/389

[10] A WOIPFG Investigation Report on the Chinese Communist Party’s Ongoing Crime of Live Organ Harvesting against Falun Dafa Practitioners(V) http://www.zhuichaguoji.org/node/96870

[11] A WOIPFG Investigation Report on the Chinese Communist Party’s Ongoing Crime of Live Organ Harvesting against Falun Dafa Practitioners(Ⅲ)

https://www.upholdjustice.org/node/389

[12] A WOIPFG Investigation Report on the Chinese Communist Party’s Ongoing Crime of Live Organ Harvesting against Falun Dafa Practitioners(Ⅲ)

https://www.upholdjustice.org/node/389

[13] Office Visualize: The Department of Urology, Guangzhou General Hospital of Guangzhou Military Command, PLA

http://www.gzzyy.com/Index/index.php/Sec/listInfo/sec_no/1252379676/clm…

https://web.archive.org/web/20130501085910/http://www.gzzyy.com/Index/i…

[14] Office Visualize: The Department of Urology, Guangzhou General Hospital of Guangzhou Military Command, PLA

http://www.gzzyy.com/Index/index.php/Sec/listInfo/sec_no/1252379676/clm…

https://web.archive.org/web/20130501085910/http://www.gzzyy.com/Index/i…

[15] Office Visualize: The Department of Urology, Guangzhou General Hospital of Guangzhou Military Command, PLA

http://www.gzzyy.com/Index/index.php/Sec/listInfo/sec_no/1252379676/clm…