| China's snazzy new death vans aid in organ harvesting [message #224594] |
So, 16 Juli 2006 04:37 |
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http://www.pekingduck.org/archives/003846.php
June 30, 2006
China's snazzy new death vans aid in organ harvesting
A shiny new fleet of execution vans is sweeping across China.
Executioners on Wheels is a one-stop solution for carrying out the icky,
messy chore of capital punishment. The spacious, high-tech, fully loaded
vans make executing prisoners a snap. The friendly drivers not only kill
the prisoner with a lethal injection, they also slice out his organs on
the spot for quick and efficient harvesting, before the posion from the
injection can sink in (or at least we sure hope so). Executions have
never been easier!
China's critics contend that the transition from firing squads to
injections in death vans facilitates an illegal trade in prisoners' organs.
Injections leave the whole body intact and require participation of
doctors. Organs can "be extracted in a speedier and more effective way
than if the prisoner is shot," says Mark Allison, East Asia researcher
at Amnesty International in Hong Kong. "We have gathered strong evidence
suggesting the involvement of (Chinese) police, courts and hospitals in
the organ trade."
Executions in death vans are recorded on video and audio that is
played live to local law enforcement authorities — a measure intended to
ensure they are carried out legally.
China's refusal to give outsiders access to the bodies of executed
prisoners has added to suspicions about what happens afterward: Corpses
are typically driven to a crematorium and burned before relatives or
independent witnesses can view them.
Chinese authorities are sensitive to allegations that they are
complicit in the organ trade. In March, the Ministry of Health issued
regulations explicitly banning the sale of organs and tightening
approval standards for transplants.
Even so, Amnesty International said in a report in April that huge
profits from the sale of prisoners' organs might be part of why China
refuses to consider doing away with the death penalty.
"Given the high commercial value of organs, it is doubtful the new
regulations will have an effect," Allison says.
Why does Amnesty International always have to be so glum, so cynical?
These spiffy vans are emblematic of China's great and unstoppable rise
to superpower status. We should celebrate them, not criticize them. Keep
your eye open for the execution van as it visits your neighborhood, and
blow the driver a kiss. He represents the new China - modern, efficient,
and economical. All hail progress.
http://www.pekingduck.org/archives/003846.php
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