US House panel questions China organ transplants from executed inmates News
US House panel questions China organ transplants from executed inmates
Photo source or description

[JURIST] The US House Committee on Foreign Affairs [official website] on Wednesday held a hearing [materials] to discuss the Chinese government’s practice of harvesting organs from executed inmates. The hearing included testimony by three witnesses supporting allegations that the government has deliberately executed political prisoners for the purpose of transplanting their organs. Representative Chris Smith [official website] said during the hearing that if the allegations were true, the Chinese government is guilty of serious human rights violations. A prepared statement [text, PDF] by witness Dr. Damon Noto noted that there is a correlation between Chinese persecution of political dissidents and dramatic increases in organ transplants. He urged the committee to adopt a resolution condemning the Chinese government and to encourage the US government to launch a further investigation into the matter. The Chinese government said in March that it would work to end organ donations from executed prisoners [JURIST report] in the next five years. While the government acknowledges that the organ donation takes place, it denies that organ transplants are a determining factor in executions.

In 2009, it was reported that 65 percent of China’s organ donations [JURIST report] came from executed prisoners. China pledged in 2007 at a World Medical Association [profession website] meeting to end the practice [JURIST report] of harvesting prisoners’ organs, except for donations to relatives. This decision came after criticism by the British Transplantation Society [advocacy website], which accused China [JURIST report] of selling organs harvested from executed prisoners. China denied these and other allegations [JURIST report], saying that all donors must give consent before their organs are used.

THIS DAY @ LAW

First impeachment trial began in US Senate

On December 17, 1798, the US Senate began its first impeachment trial. Senator William Blount of Tennessee, a land speculator, was accused of plotting with England to wrest control of Florida from Spain. The Senate ultimately dismissed the charges for lack of jurisdiction—and, perhaps incidentally, lack of Blount, who had gone to Tennessee and had refused to return to the Senate for trial. Read more on the trial of William Blount.

Simon Bolivar dies

On December 17, 1830, South American revolutionary Simon Bolivar died in Colombia. During his lifetime, Bolivar led successful revolutions against Spanish colonial rule throughout South America. His efforts led to the independence of the modern-day nations of Colombia, Peru, Venezuela, Panama, Ecuador and Bolivia, a nation named in his honor.