16 imprisoned in kidney trading case in east China

JINAN - Sixteen people, mostly medical workers, got jail terms on Friday ranging from two to five years for involvement in the illegal trading of human kidneys, said a local court in East China's Shandong province.

According to Lixia district court of Jinan city, since November 2014, a number of the defendants had searched online for kidney sellers across the country, arranging for tests and matches between sellers and buyers.

Among the defendants there are two surgeons, one anesthetist, one nurse and one assistant doctor, all from Jining city in Shandong. They secretly carried out kidney transplant surgeries in the city of Feicheng.

The trial lasted for over a year and a half.

Patients were asked to pay 400,000 (about $57,612) to 600,000 yuan each, while people selling kidneys only received around 40,000 yuan. The defendants made 700 to 15,000 yuan profit per surgery.

According to Friday's verdict, the 16 defendants were convicted of organizing the selling of human organs. They were also told to pay fines ranging from 40,000 to 10,000 yuan.

In 2007, the Chinese government issued its first regulation on human organ transplants, banning organizations and individuals from any trading in human organs.