Pioneer of Organ Harvesting Among Prisoners Faces Prosecution Following Scandal
by Sophia Golec
Posted on April 24, 2013
This Friday Party aristocrat Bo Xilai was debarred from the Communist Party of China and charged with crimes following major political scandal. His wife, Gu Kailai, was convicted of the murder of British businessman Neil Heywood last month. Mr. Bo is charged with crimes in relation to his wife’s case, as well as the acceptance of an undisclosed sum of bribes.
Analysts speculate as to the cause of numerous other allegations made by the Party against Mr. Bo. Charges of “inappropriate sexual relationships” and violations of party regulations suggest the spreading of slander against the official. The Party’s actions appear to correspond to a political need to respond harshly to the scandal.
Bo Xilai has been linked to organ harvesting in China. As governor of Liaoning Province from 2000-2004, Mr. Bo instituted the practice of harvesting organs from live prisoners of conscience, namely practitioners of Falun Gong.
Falun Gong is a spiritual practice in China whose practitioners have been systematically dehumanized in a nationwide attempt to eradicate the practice in its entirety. This dehumanization made it possible for Mr. Bo to endorse research on live organ harvesting.
Sources indicate that live organ harvesting consists of a non-lethal but paralyzing injection of the prisoner followed by the removal of the organs. No anesthetic is provided. The harvesting apparently functions as the prisoner’s execution.
Live organ harvesting is considerably less complicated than even transplantation following brain death. The organs would then be immediately given to patients in need of an organ.
New York Times by Edward Wong:
