Chinese authorities are thought to have harvested the organs from the
body of a prisoner who died in his cell, against the wishes of his
family.
The family of Christian pro-democracy activist Peng Ming have accused
the prison authorities of having removed his brain and heart and not
allowing an independent autopsy.
Peng Ming died last November 29 in the prison of Xianning (Hubei), sentenced to life in prison for corruption and for having organized terrorist groups. According to the official account, he fell ill while watching television.
The autopsy carried out by the prison authorities states no cause of
death. The world of dissidence and the same Peng family have expressed
doubts about his abrupt end: Peng’s older brother had gone to visit him
on November 24 and found him in good health.
On 10 December the Peng family (especially his sister Peng Xing, an
exile in the US), issued a statement declaring "the relevant departments
of the government have dissected the body of Peng Ming against the
wishes of his family and have removed his brain and heart”.
Using other sources, ChinaAid, an organization based in the
US that is interested in the persecution of Christians in China, gave an
account of the affair.
According to China Aid, before the
official autopsy, the leaders questioned Peng’s brother for six hours,
trying to force him to sign a document that would allow them to remove
some abdominal tissues to conduct 'scientific experiments'.
The brother
refused, but the authorities violated this will and removed some vital
organs including the brain and heart.
Following this Peng’s brother was taken to see the body, but could
only his head, since the rest of the body was covered. He was then
informed that Peng’s brain, heart and other organs had been removed.
Many of Peng Ming family members are exiles in the United States, in
Canada.
In protest, none of the family members of Peng abroad - who
succeeded in being allowed to be present at the funeral - took part in
the funeral, denouncing "the high wall of despotism" put in place by the
Chinese government.