Chinese Mobile Death Van

People use technology in really screwed up ways sometimes, the Chinese government being one example. Let’s start with some history. 

Starting in 1940 and going until the end of World War II, the Nazis would make use of death vans – large busses that fit up to 50 people inside, the back of which was hermetically sealed so that Jews and convicts could be executed instantly by pumping carbon monoxide gas  into the back of the van. The vans were originally tested on children at a Polish psychiatric hospital and as the prisoners screamed inside the vans and pounded on the walls these vans were being driven to graves which were in the process of being dug.

Now, China is proud to be using a similar system to execute its prisoners. Mobile death vans were invented by an automobile company, the spokesperson of which was quick to offer these execution vans to other countries. Apparently many death vans have already been purchased by various prisons. Instead of using poison gas to execute criminals on death row (some of which have been put on death row for crimes like tax evasion and fraud), these deathmobiles use lethal injection. The prisoner goes into the execution van, is killed by lethal injection, and driven straight to the crematorium. Not only that, but his organs are quickly removed in the van straight after death and sold on the black market to the rich who are willing to pay for them. Apparently out of over 10,000 Chinese kidney transplants each year less than 300 come from voluntary donations. 

China is proud of these death vans - they save time and money and get them some illegal cash from the organ market at the same time. The number of deaths is expected to rise to 10,000 this year – compared to the still substantial 1,715 convicts being executed last year. Then again, even on death, in my opinion, is substantial.