The sources of the bodies used in two different exhibitions of human corpses are coming under close scrutiny.
Human rights organizations are investigating the "Body Worlds" exhibition, brought to the U.S. by Germany's Dr. Hagens, trying to determine if some of his corpses have come from China. Hagens strongly denies this.
There is no ambiguity about the corpses for "Bodies: The Exhibition." The organizer of this exhibition openly admitted the corpses for this show come from Dalian City, China.
The New York exhibition is located downtown at the South Street Seaport Exhibition Centre. According to information from the theatre's website, the exhibition started on November 19, 2005 and will end in May 14, 2006. The exhibition consists of 22 corpses and 260 sections of human organs.
The U.S. corporation Premier Exhibitions, Inc. is the organizer of this human body exhibition. When Epoch Times journalists asked the company about the source of the corpses, the answer was, "They come from Dalian Medical University in China." But the company could not provide detailed information about the source. Experts on the Falun Gong issue believe it is highly possible that the human bodies in the exhibition, or at least some of those bodies, are the corpses of Falun Gong practitioners in China who have been tortured to death.
News of the Sujiatun Death Camp , where human organs have been harvested from several thousand living Falun Gong practitioners for profit, has recently caught the attention of the world's media, further spotlighting the Chinese communist regime's practice of trading in human organs and human corpses.
Corpses from China
When The Epoch Times called the venue of the exhibition to inquire about the source of the corpses, one staff member said he didn't know, but said the corpses were "donated for scientific research by an anonymous individual."
The same staff member said no videos or photos were allowed inside the exhibition, and mobile phones were also not allowed. He also said that it is impossible to determine the race of the corpses from external appearance.
Another theatre staffer told The Epoch Times that the exhibitions were owned by Premier Exhibitions, and that besides the exhibitions in New York, Atlanta, and Tampa, there was also one in London at the same time.
The Epoch Times reporter called the head office of Premier Exhibitions in Atlanta; one lady stated clearly that those corpses came from mainland China. But she refused to answer questions such as "How many corpses in total are in the exhibit?" "What is the name of the exact places in China the corpses come from?" and "Do you have mainland partners?"
"Working Together with the Chinese Communist Regime"
Our reporter called Premier Exhibitions Inc. again the next day. Another employee, who did not want to disclose his position, said that the bodies came from Dalian Medical University in China. Because the Chinese regime controls Chinese universities, all the necessary procedures were approved by the Chinese authorities.
During the interview, the employee repeatedly emphasized that the company's actions were "legal." When our reporter asked whose bodies they were, their names and family members, which departments in the Chinese government were directly involved, she replied that all she knew was "these bodies were not claimed by any family members;" as for other questions, the company (Premier Exhibitions Inc) is not aware.
Our reporter asked her if she knew that the Communist regime in China had been killing people, including the brutal persecution of Falun Gong practitioners; she answered no and also that this has nothing to do with the exhibition.
When our reporter asked for her name, she replied, "I can't tell you."
Bodies of Falun Gong Practitioners May Be Amongst Exhibits
In part because Premier Exhibitions, Inc. was not able to provide information as to the source of the body specimens used in the exhibition, Falun Gong practitioners overseas are concerned that these are the bodies of fellow practitioners who were tortured to death.
Epoch Times columnist and Falun Gong expert Zhang Tianliang holds the view that such concerns are not unreasonable because situations like this are very likely and almost unavoidable in light of the history and recent practices of the Communist regime.
He said, "Traditionally, the Chinese would display the bodies of those who have committed terrible crimes in the streets or hang them up on flag poles for a few days as a warning to people. The Chinese are very particular about "preserving the whole body of a dead person;" it is unlikely that family members would allow the bodies of their loved ones to be stripped of skins and exhibited. Hence it is difficult to get donations under normal circumstances.
"For the past six years, the Communist regime has carried out an extermination policy towards Falun Gong practitioners whereby 'those beaten to death are considered as committing suicide,' 'no investigations are made into their identities, cremate their bodies straight away,' leading to the confirmed deaths of nearly 3000 practitioners that we can identify by name. Yet the actual number of those killed by torture is far more than that. At the same time, because family members of Falun Gong practitioners have no means to seek redress for injustice suffered, the bodies of dead Falun Gong practitioners have become the most likely source for body specimens.
"Under such circumstances, it is highly likely that there are Falun Gong practitioners' bodies amongst the many body specimens."
According to Falun Gong spokesman Zhang Erping, "The Communist regime has refused to divulge the source of organs in the organ trade because such dealings involve the harvesting of organs from live Falun Gong practitioners. The sale of organs and human bodies overseas by the Chinese Communist regime is an inhuman, barbaric undertaking; it is a humiliation to all Chinese citizens. At the same time, it is also challenging the conscience and human rights values of the U.S. public." Zhang calls upon international society, especially the U.S. government, to carry out an investigation into this matter, find out the source of these body specimens and stop such atrocities.
Human Body Processing Factory in Dalian, China
It is a common knowledge that China is presently the world's largest human organ-trading center. Patients from all over the world come to China for organ transplant operations. In fact, China is also the largest body-processing center in the world; the hub of this industry is located in the city of Dalian.
It is known that Doctor Sui Hongjin, who at one time worked for Hagens, subsequently set up his own company, the Dalian Medical University plastination company. Premier Exhibitions Inc. claims that the corpses come from Dalian Medical University. Whether they are referring to the Dalian Medical University plastination company or other organizations within the university, has yet to be verified.
Please see 'BODIES… The Exhibit' is Gruesome Show of Unidentified Dead for further details.
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