Authorities
in China removed organs from the body of Christian prisoner of conscience Peng Ming against
his family’s wishes, according to a statement by the family dated 10 December
and translated by China Aid.
On
2 December, CSW
expressed concerns over the lack of information about the death of Peng
Ming, a long term political prisoner in Hubei, China. A second official
statement from his family, published by China Aid, claims that Peng Ming’s body was dissected against
his family’s will on 5 December and that his brain and heart were removed. The
family had previouslyrequested an autopsy by “an international, independent medical
authority acceptable to the family”.
Peng
Ming died in prison on 29 November while serving a life sentence for engaging in
“terrorist activities”. Peng’s brother Peng Zhangming told Radio Free Asia (RFA) that the death certificate gave no
details of the cause of death. According to the news and commentary website China Change, many in the dissident community inside and
outside China have “expressed doubt over the official version of events,
particularly given the fact that Peng’s older brother visited him as recently as
November 24, and reported that he appeared to be in good health”.
In
the statement issued by Peng Ming’s family on 10 December, they reported that
the authorities would only allow one member of the overseas family to attend
Peng Ming’s funeral. In protest, they have decided unanimously that none of Peng
Ming’s overseas family will attend the ceremony.
CSW’s
Chief Executive Mervyn Thomas said, ‘The lack of transparent information about
the causes of Peng Ming’s death is deeply troubling. In their statement, Peng
Ming’s family have described themselves as “fragile eggs facing the high wall of
despotism”. Their three requests – for viewing rights of his body for family
members, for an independent autopsy, and for all Peng’s personal possessions to
be returned to his family – have not been met, and the dissection of his body,
without the family’s consent, can only have made their suffering more acute. We
call on the Chinese authorities to investigate immediately and impartially the
causes of Peng Ming’s death and potential human rights abuses committed by the
prison authorities, and to allow all family members to travel to China for the
funeral.”
