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Ethan Gutmann

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Ethan Gutmann (left) with Edward McMillan-Scott at Foreign Press Association press conference, 2009

Ethan Gutmann is an investigative writer, human rights defender, China watcher, author, and a former adjunct fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies. Gutmann's writing on China is widely published.[1][2] He has contributed to online publications at least as far back as 1999,[3] and wrote 2 books about China.

He testified before the U.S. Congress,[4] the U.S. House Committee on Foreign Affairs,[5][6] the European Parliament and the United Nations.[1]

Early life and education

Gutmann earned a Bachelor of Arts and a Master of International Affairs at Columbia University.

Losing the New China: A Story of American Commerce, Desire and Betrayal

Jay Nordlinger wrote that Gutmann's 2004 book "was about the sordid relationship between the American business community and the Chinese Communist Party. Our businessmen accommodate themselves to the Communist Party, and turn a blind eye to persecution." Sometimes they even assist the persecution, as when Cisco and other technology companies devised special ways to monitor and arrest Falun Gong practitioners".[7]

Evidence of Cisco's activities in China became public in Gutmann's book.[8]

Gutmann's explanation of the Golden Shield's surveillance

Before 1999, Falun Gong practitioners didn't systematically use the Internet as an organizing tool. After the persecution of Falun Gong began in 1999, they were isolated, fragmented, and looking for a way to organize and change government policy. They went online, used code words, avoided precise details and communicated in short bursts. But like a cat listening to mice, the 6-10 Office could find their exact location, having developed the ability to search and spy as a result of a joint venture between the Shandong Province public security bureau and Cisco Systems. The result was a comprehensive database of people's personal information, including the 6-10 Office's Falun Gong lists and a wraparound surveillance system that was quickly distributed to other provinces. The Chinese authorities called it the Golden Shield, and Hao Fengjun used it on a daily basis. "As far as following practitioners" he said, "the Golden Shield includes the ability to monitor online chatting services and email, identifying Internet Protocol addresses and all of the person's previous communication, and then being able to lock in on the person's location, because a person will usually use the computer at home or at work." Then the arrest is made.[9]

In 2011, two separate lawsuits were filed in U.S. federal courts against Cisco Systems alleging that its technology enabled the government of China to monitor, capture, and kill Chinese citizens for their views and beliefs.[10]

Organ harvesting in China

Main articles: Organ harvesting from Falun Gong practitioners in China and Persecution of Falun Gong § Organ harvesting

In 2006, allegations emerged that a large number of Falun Gong practitioners had been killed to supply China's organ transplant industry. The allegations prompted an investigation by David Kilgour and David Matas. The Kilgour–Matas report[11] stated, "the source of 41,500 transplants for the six year period 2000 to 2005 is unexplained" and "we believe that there has been and continues today to be large scale organ seizures from unwilling Falun Gong practitioners."[11]

From 2006, Gutmann wrote articles about organ harvesting.[12][13][14] In 2012, "State Organs: Transplant Abuse in China", was published with essays from six medical professionals,[15][16][17][18][19][20] David Matas and Gutmann.[21][22][23][24][25]

Gutmann interviewed over 100 witnesses including Falun Gong survivors, doctors, policemen, and camp administrators. He estimated that 65,000 Falun Gong practitioners were killed for their organs from 2000 to 2008,[1][7][26] and that between 450,000 and 1 million Falun Gong practitioners were detained at any given time.[27][28][29][30]

In October 2014, in an interview with The Toronto Star Gutmann did not limit the time frame to 2000 to 2008 and stated, "the number of casualties is close to 100,000".[1]

The Slaughter: Mass Killings, Organ Harvesting, and China's Secret Solution to Its Dissident Problem

In August 2014 Gutmann published the inside story[30] of China's organ transplant business and its macabre connection with internment camps and killing fields for arrested dissidents, especially the adherents of Falun Gong. This new book which was made for seven years is based on interviews with top-ranking police officials, former prisoners of conscience and Chinese doctors who have killed prisoners on the operating table. Gutmann described his journey deep into the dissident archipelago of Falun Gong, Tibetans, Uighurs and House Christians, uncovering an ageless drama of resistance, eliciting confessions of deep betrayal and moments of ecstatic redemption. Jay Nordlinger a senior editor of National Review, called his book "another atom bomb".[31]

Gutmann's explanation of the Third Rail of Journalism

In 2012 Gutmann stated,

There is a long-standing taboo in the journalism community about Falun Gong, about this issue [organ harvesting]. To touch this issue is the Third Rail of journalism. If you touch it—if you are in Beijing, if you are based in China—you will not be given access to top leaders anymore. I can give you an example of this.

I had a friend who wrote for the South China Morning Post. He wrote a very powerful article about Falun Gong back in the early days. The South China Morning Post was blocked, the web version was blocked in China for 6 months. That was at a time when the South China Morning Post was desperately trying to get penetration of that market. This is common. And so there are many dangers for doing this for journalists, and I believe those extend across the board.[6]

2014 Taipei City mayoral election controversy

Main article: Ko Wen-je § Organ harvesting controversy

During the 2014 Taipei City mayoral election there was controversy about what Gutmann's book, The Slaughter: Mass Killings, Organ Harvesting, and China's Secret Solution to Its Dissident Problem, published in August 2014, said about mayoral candidate Ko Wen-je. Gutmann stated he had not said that Ko was involved in the organ trade and that he might have been misinterpreted.[32] On 27 November, Gutmann released a legal response with lawyer Clive Ansley, stating that "no English-speaking reader to date has understood for one moment that Dr. Ko was acting as an organ broker" and "Mr. Gutmann believes, and we think his book demonstrates, that Dr. Ko has acted honourably".[33]

On 29 November, Ko won the election. A full explanation, including the actual email correspondence where Ko signed off on the story for publication, was provided by Gutmann in December.[34][35]

Articles

Books

Documentaries

He appeared in Transmission 6-10 (2009),[36] Red Reign: The Bloody Harvest of China's Prisoners (2013),[37] and was interviewed in Free China: The Courage to Believe.

Awards

His first book Losing the New China won the "Spirit of Tiananmen" award,[38] was listed as one of The New York Sun's "Books of the year"[39] and the "Chan's Journalism Award" for outstanding writing.[40]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c d Barbara Turnbull (21 October 2014) "Q&A: Author and analyst Ethan Gutmann discusses China's illegal organ trade", The Toronto Star
  2. ^ "Ethan Gutmann", The Weekly Standard
  3. ^ Ethan Gutmann (24 May 1999) "A Tale of the New China", The Weekly Standard
  4. ^ Ethan Gutmann "China's Policies Toward Spiritual Movements", Congressional-Executive Commission on China Roundtable discussion, cecc.gov, 18 June 2010
  5. ^ Ethan Gutmann, "Organ Harvesting of Religious and Political Dissidents by the Chinese Communist Party", Hearing before House Committee on Foreign Affairs, archives.republicans.foreignaffairs.house.gov 12 September 2012
  6. ^ a b "Organ Harvesting of Religious and Political Dissidents by the Chinese Communist Party", Hearing before House Committee on Foreign Affairs, archives.republicans.foreignaffairs.house.gov 12 September 2012
  7. ^ a b Jay Nordlinger (25 August 2014) "Face The Slaughter: The Slaughter: Mass Killings, Organ Harvesting, and China's Secret Solution to Its Dissident Problem, by Ethan Gutmann", National Review
  8. ^ "Suit Claims Cisco Helped China Pursue Falun Gong", New York Times, 22 May 2011
  9. ^ Ethan Gutmann (May/June 2010) "Hacker Nation: China's Cyber Assault", World Affairs Journal
  10. ^ "Human Rights Verdict Could Affect Cisco in China", Global Voices Online, 24 April 2013
  11. ^ a b David Kilgour, David Matas (6 July 2006, revised 31 January 2007) An Independent Investigation into Allegations of Organ Harvesting of Falun Gong Practitioners in China (in 22 languages) organharvestinvestigation.net
  12. ^ Ethan Gutmann (8 May 2006) "Why Wang Wenyi Was Shouting", The Weekly Standard
  13. ^ Ethan Gutmann (24 November 2008) "China's Gruesome Organ Harvest", The Weekly Standard
  14. ^ "Bitter Harvest: China's 'Organ Donation' Nightmare", World Affairs Journal July/August 2012
  15. ^ G Danovitch articles, US National Library of Medicine
  16. ^ AL Caplan articles, US National Library of Medicine
  17. ^ J Lavee articles, US National Library of Medicine
  18. ^ G Ahmad articles, US National Library of Medicine
  19. ^ T Trey articles, US National Library of Medicine
  20. ^ M Fiatarone Singh articles, US National Library of Medicine
  21. ^ "State Organs: Introduction" seraphimeditions.com
  22. ^ Rebeca Kuropatwa (19 September 2012) "New Matas book reveals transplant abuse", Jewish Tribune (Canada)
  23. ^ Mark Colvin (27 November 2012) "Parliament to hear evidence of transplant abuse in China", Australian Broadcasting Corporation
  24. ^ Matthew Robertson (31 August 2012) "Book Exposes Organized Killing for Organs in China", The Epoch Times
  25. ^ David Matas, Dr. Torsten Trey (2012) State Organs, Transplant Abuse in China, seraphimeditions.com p. 144
  26. ^ Viv Young (11 August 2014) "The Slaughter: Mass Killings, Organ Harvesting, and China's Secret Solution to Its Dissident Problem", New York Journal of Books
  27. ^ Julia Duin (27 April 2010) "Chinese accused of vast trade in organs", The Washington Times
  28. ^ Ethan Gutmann, "The China Conundrum", The Jewish Policy Center, inFocus, Winter 2010
  29. ^ Ethan Gutmann (10 March 2011) "How many harvested?" revisited eastofethan.com
  30. ^ a b Ethan Gutmann (August 2014) The Slaughter: Mass Killings, Organ Harvesting and China's Secret Solution to Its Dissident Problem "Average number of Falun Gong in Laogai System at any given time" Low estimate 450,000, High estimate 1,000,000 p 320. "Best estimate of Falun Gong harvested 2000 to 2008" 65,000 p 322. amazon.com
  31. ^ Jay Nordlinger a senior editor of National Review "Face the Slaughter", A new book excruciatingly details China’s horrific treatment of dissidents, August 25, 2014, issue of National Review
  32. ^ "Ko denies organ buying allegations", Taipei Times, 29 October 2014
  33. ^ 葛特曼律師回函 澄清柯P沒參與器官仲介 27 November 2014, newtalk.tw
  34. ^ Ethan Gutmann (19 Dec 2014) "Setting the Record Straight: The Dr. Ko Interview" (9 minutes), vimeo.com, International Coalition to End Organ Pillaging in China
  35. ^ Ethan Gutmann published Photos of Dr. Ko Wen-je's correspondence" on his webpage
  36. ^ "Transmission 6-10: 1st Half", (52 minutes) Youtube video, 20 February 2011
  37. ^ "Red Reign trailer", (4 minutes) Youtube video, 30 July 2013
  38. ^ "New Book Exposes how China Murders its Citizens to Profit from the Sale of their Organs", Vision Times, 26 July 2014
  39. ^ "Books of the Year", The New York Sun, 31 December 2004
  40. ^ China Expert Ethan Gutmann Talks About His New Book "The Slaughter: Mass Killings, Organ Harvesting, and China's Secret Solution to its Dissident Problem", The Epoch Times, 2 December 2014
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