Fuzhou General Hospital in Fujian  province, China, has signed a contract with  a local  court  to harvest the kidneys  of executed prisoners. This came to light through an agent based in Taiwan who was involved in arranging trips  to the hospital for patients needing transplants.  He told the Taipei’s United  Daily  that the hospital was permitted to carry  out transplants within 12 hours of execution taking place on any one of the 13 execution grounds  in the vicinity.  China’s Ministry of Justice has denied that the organs of executed prisoners are sold for transplants but human rights groups believe there is  strong evidence  that a trade in  organs from dead prisoners exist. – Telegraph Group Limited, London, 1998.