Tengrinews.kz - Deputy Head of the third division of the department for combating organized crime of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, Shynar Kosherbaeva, reported in early September that 15 criminal cases related to organ trafficking had been registered in Kazakhstan since the beginning of the year. The Ministry of Internal Affairs disclosed details of these cases, explaining that they involved organs of living people.
Tengrinews.kz - Deputy Head of the third division of the department for combating organized crime of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, Shynar Kosherbaeva, reported in early September that 15 criminal cases related to organ trafficking had been registered in Kazakhstan since the beginning of the year. The Ministry of Internal Affairs disclosed details of these cases, explaining that they involved organs of living people.
According to the ministry, all 15 criminal cases were registered under Article 116 of the Criminal Code, "Coercion to remove or illegal removal of human organs and tissues." However, it was not specified whether any medical organization representatives were among the suspects involved in organ trafficking.
"All cases involve illegal transactions for the sale of organs from living individuals. It has been established that the initiators are the citizens themselves, who sell their organs to improve their financial situation, as well as intermediaries who search for organ sellers and recipients in need of transplants," the Ministry of Internal Affairs reported.
The ministry reminded that, according to Article 209 "Transplantation of organs (part of an organ) and (or) tissues (part of tissue) and conditions for their removal" of the Code "On the Health of People and Healthcare System", the buying and selling of human organs (part of an organ) and (or) tissues (part of tissue) is prohibited and is prosecuted under Article 116 of the Criminal Code.
As previously mentioned by Shynar Kosherbaeva, up to 150 criminal cases related to human trafficking are initiated annually in the republic. Since the beginning of this year, 134 criminal cases have been registered.