Organ harvesters charged

By Zhang Yan (China Daily)
Updated: 2010-03-26 07:53

A gang who allegedly ran a human organ trafficking scheme will stand trial in April, Haidian district court said on Thursday.

The alleged gang is made up of former liver donor, Liu Jiangshen, 27, from Sichuan province and three other suspects named Yang Shihai, Liu Qiang and Liu Ping, according to Qiu Zhiying, a prosecutor in Haidian district.

Liu and Yang were charged with illegal business operation by Haidian prosecutors in February, Qiu said, adding that 25-year-old Yang, from Chongqing, is a retired solider whose role was to find donors. The other two men were Liu's assistants.

The business began when Liu's father was diagnosed with enteritis in July 2008. The cost of his father's surgery was set at 4,000 yuan, but Liu claimed he earned only 1,000 yuan, the prosecutor said. Liu made the decision to sell his liver to raise cash for the operation.

From July to October 2008, Liu ran numerous online searches to find a buyer for his organ.

Organ harvesters charged

"By typing in words like 'organ donation' or 'agency', search engines display online brokers who recruit paid donors and help them find matches," Qiu quoted Liu as saying.

Liu claimed he found a broker, surnamed Li from Korea, who invited him to go to the Beijing People's Hospital. He offered 45,000 yuan for the body part, Qiu said.

Li allegedly forged certificates in collaboration with the police and medical staff that stated the recipient was a relative of Liu. This made him eligible to receive the liver and kidney, Liu claimed.

According to Chinese law, most trade in organs was banned in May 2007. Organ donations can be made legally to family members. In December, about 70 percent of Liu's liver was removed by the hospital. He was discharged 15 days later, Qiu said.

After leaving hospital, Liu returned to his rented basement flat in Xizhimen. Through online research he found numerous illegal agencies pursuing donors through chat forums.

In March 2009, Liu met Yang in Henan province through instant messaging tool QQ. Yang had sold his liver on the black market for 50,000 yuan in 2008.

Yang claimed he had lost 80,000 yuan through a failed restaurant and clothing business after his retirement from the army. He had sold his organ to pay back loans from his friends, Qiu said.

Yang allegedly rented a three-bedroom house in Qi county, outside Hebi city in Henan province. The pair decided that Yang's role was to recruit and care for potential donors, Qiu said.

Yang told METRO on Thursday that from March to April, 2009, he recruited a total of 12 young and healthy men nationwide.

In April 2009, Yang Lian, one of the recruits, had his liver removed at the General Hospital of the People's Liberation Army. It was sold by Liu and accomplice Yang for 150,000 yuan.

In May, Liu and Yang were detained by police.

A kidney is typically sold for 150,000 yuan on the black market, Liu said. Of that figure, 50,000 yuan is paid to the donor, 10,000 yuan to the agency as an introductory charge, and the remainder is shared between the hospital and the agency.