Internal Organs Missing from Body of Falun Gong Practitioner Killed in Police Custody

NEW YORK (FDI) – The second of two autopsies performed on the body of a Falun Gong practitioner who was beaten to death in police custody revealed that several internal organs had been removed, presumably shortly after her death.

On April 23, 2003, 56-year-old Ms. Zhao Chunying was detained by Chinese police for posting a story on the Internet about torture she had previously suffered in police custody. Less than a month later, she was dead and photographs taken by her family indicate her death was horrifyingly brutal.

The Falun Dafa Information Center reported Zhao’s death on October 2, 2003. (Full story)

After repeated demands from her family, the Jixi City Procuratorate conducted an autopsy on Zhao’s remains. The autopsy revealed a large knife wound to the head, four broken ribs and numerous black and purple bruises indicating a violent beating. The autopsy also discovered considerable internal bleeding.

According to reports from China, Zhao’s family has initiated legal action against the police who allegedly killed her.

On November 15, 2003, the Heilongjiang Judicature Appraisal Committee carried out a second autopsy on Zhao’s remains. In addition to the findings of the first autopsy, the second autopsy discovered a fractured skull.

The second autopsy also revealed that the heart, spleen, pancreas and other internal organs were missing.

It is not known when the internal organs were removed or for what purpose, although illegal human organ trafficking in China has been identified as a serious concern by international human rights groups. In June 2001, Chinese Dr. Wang Guoqi testified before the U.S. Congress about the nearly 100 operations he reportedly performed on executed prisoners in China to extract their organs for sale.