China dismisses lawyer who exposed China`s horrific body trade

A lawyer who exposed a horrific nationwide trade in stolen and dismembered corpses has been removed from his role as director of a Beijing law firm, according to RFA.

Yi Shenghua, who was listed as a director at Beijing Yongzhe Law Firm until Wednesday morning, ignited a social media uproar after revealing disturbing details about a body-snatching scheme. This scheme involved the illegal sale of dead bodies and body parts to biotech institutions for dental bone grafts, done without the knowledge or consent of the deceased’s families.

The Ministry of Public Security is investigating claims that Shanxi Aurui Biomaterials was involved in trading thousands of bodies or body parts. The company is suspected of “theft of, insult to, or intentional destruction of human remains,” following Yi’s revelations.

Yi had reported that bodies were being sent to the company from funeral homes across Shanxi, Sichuan, and Guangxi provinces, with thousands of bodies in Sichuan alone and over 70 families seeking compensation. The bones were used to make dental implants, leaving relatives uncertain if the ashes they received were complete remains of their loved ones.

Despite being warned by Beijing Municipal Judicial Affairs officials not to go public, Yi posted, “I am willing to pay the price to expose this enraging truth.”

On August 13, an official announcement from the Bureau confirmed that Yi would be stepping down from his position as director of Beijing Yongzhe, a firm he founded.