The skin of executed Chinese prisoners!

[Zulu Elephant]

Holy sh*t!

A Chinese cosmetics company is using skin harvested from the corpses of executed convicts to develop beauty products for sale in Europe, an investigation by the Guardian has discovered.

Agents for the firm have told would-be customers it is developing collagen for lip and wrinkle treatments from skin taken from prisoners after they have been shot. The agents say some of the company's products have been exported to the UK, and that the use of skin from condemned convicts is "traditional" and nothing to "make such a big fuss about".

t is unclear whether any of the "aesthetic fillers" such as collagen available in the UK or on the internet are supplied by the company, which cannot be identified for legal reasons. It is also unclear whether collagen made from prisoners' skin is in the research stage or is in production. However, the Guardian has learned that the company has exported collagen products to the UK in the past. An agent told customers it had also exported to the US and European countries, and that it was trying to develop fillers using tissue from aborted foetuses.

When formally approached by the Guardian, the agent denied the company was using skin harvested from executed prisoners. However, he had already admitted it was doing precisely this during a number of conversations with a researcher posing as a Hong Kong businessman. The Press Complaints Commission's code of practice permits subterfuge if there is no other means of investigating a matter of public interest.

The agent told the researcher: "A lot of the research is still carried out in the traditional manner using skin from the executed prisoner and aborted foetus." This material, he said, was being bought from "bio tech" companies based in the northern province of Heilongjiang, and was being developed elsewhere in China.

He suggested that the use of skin and other tissues harvested from executed prisoners was not uncommon. "In China it is considered very normal and I was very shocked that western countries can make such a big fuss about this," he said. Speaking from his office in northern China, he added: "The government has put some pressure on all the medical facilities to keep this type of work in low profile."

The agent said his company exported to the west via Hong Kong."We are still in the early days of selling these products, and clients from abroad are quite surprised that China can manufacture the same human collagen for less than 5% of what it costs in the west." Skin from prisoners used to be even less expensive, he said. "Nowadays there is a certain fee that has to be paid to the court."

http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk_news/st...568467,00.html

I normally don't have a problem with using stem cells or anything like that. But for beauty products?

[Pekka]

[Jon Miller]

to using the skin and tissue of unwanted blacks and asians for the health and beauty of western whites

JM

[Pekka]

Miller, don't be stupid racist here, anyone can use it. Even western blacks.

[Blake]

The irony is beautiful .

[Gangerolf]

NaziChina must die

[Lefty Scaevola]

Originally posted by Zulu Elephant
I normally don't have a problem with using stem cells or anything like that. But for beauty products?

using human products one long legal/ethical continuum without bright lines.

[Pekka]

those chinese people who were executed no longer needs their skin, that's a fact.

Now, if we can have a situation, where this skin can be used to help out the people who have unfortunate condition of loose skin, carrying this stigma in today's society, a condition that can be taken cared of .. then why shouldn't we take care of that problem?

We know that we can't possibly treat everyone of the loose skin situation, so this can't be part of the .. medicaid or what ever have you in your countries, the public health care. And there wou ldn't be enough skin to begin with, unless of course...

anyway, this is a Chinese contribution to the ideals of beauty, that they so much want to hold up and say 'we want to be just like you! We admire beauty! We used to break our backs for you, sweat for you, but now we are ready to take our skin off for you, that's how much we think you are number one!'.

So why would we be so cruel and hypocrite not to let them follow their dream and do what they want? Most of them are poor and this is the only way they can contribute to us, so we should respect that and let them.

[Gangerolf]

"anyway, this is a Chinese contribution to the ideals of beauty,"

True, true. Who are we to judge them? That would be racist and then we would be the nazis here. They are doing as good as they can.

The Chinese beauty industry has long traditions (like this: http://www.ccds.charlotte.nc.us/Hist...s/hutchins.htm), I'm sure they know what they are doing.

[Pekka]

of course. Well let me ask you this.. would you take off your skin for beauty? I think you would not. NEither would I. These people are DOING it. Not just thinking about it, but doing it.

That's a sign of commitment if anything is. We have it so easy in here, that it never even came to our minds, to peel the skin off. Thats how creative these people are. And committed. Stop judging them. They deserve better.

[Footie Mad]

So someone ceases to have the right to their body when they die?

It would solve the lack of appropriate organs for transplantation, just wheel em in real quick to the hospital and take what you need. The family can have the remains in a box with a festive bow tie.

[Pekka]

Why do you think this has anything to do with rights?

Don't be like this Footie Mad.

[DinoDoc]

/me wonders if UR will blame the US for this

[Sava]

Do you even need to wonder?

[Kontiki]

I blame Bush.

[Theben]

This thread sure has summoned the trolls...

[DinoDoc]

which cannot be identified for legal reasons.

Can someone explain this statement? If they didn't want people to know that they use the skin of executed prisoners, why would they use the skin of executed prisoners and why would it be a legal issue with identifying them?

[Theben]

Anyway, I'll bite:

Overpopulation+scarce resources+corrupt govt willing to look other way+capitalists companies who dont care+courts getting paid for condemning prisoners to skin product hell= ??

[mindseye]

Gotta love Chinese businessmen! It wouldn't surprise me if this story was true.

Recently a tiger meat restaurant was shut down up north.

Don't worry, it wasn't real tiger meat. Turns out the owner was fleecing his customers (not exactly uncommon here). According to the owner, it was in fact donkey flesh marinated in tiger urine.

[chequita guevara]

Originally posted by DinoDoc

which cannot be identified for legal reasons.

Can someone explain this statement?

The Guardian doesn't have enough proof to stand up against a libel case in British courts yet.

[Az]

Hey, Seriously, China could make a killing and really break the international organ harvesting market! If you're going to not care about the body of the dead ( and I don't ), why not use it for something real.


Btw, why only executed prisoners? Why not prisoners who die in their cells from natural causes?

[Urban Ranger]

Originally posted by Theben
This thread sure has summoned the trolls...

No surprise here.

[Az]

Actually, why not take the bodies of all of the dead?

[MosesPresley]

If this was said about the US, everybody would be yelling about tin foil hats and lunatic fringe conspiracy nuts. Since its China, the new big EVIL, it must be true.

[Az]

LOLROFL actually, I'd presume it was true, as well.

This is hardly unbelievable tinfoil material.

[Jon Miller]

my comment shows that I Consider it happening in the West as well

JM

[Q Classic]

/me wonders why Catwoman doesn't fight this in her next movie.

[Provost Harrison]

I hope the Chinese don't lose face over this...

[Guynemer]

[Az]

you have to be pretty thick-skinned not to show disgust at this...