A blind, bedridden widow is taking on the might of...

A blind, bedridden widow is taking on the might of the Chinese Government in an effort to halt "executions on demand".
Liang Zhizen, 76, is risking the wrath of Communist officials by exposing the practice of killing prisoners in order to steal their organs for transplant operations. Her son, Wan Qichao, was executed by firing squad, along with three other men, for conspiring to murder one of their wives.
Liang and her elderly sister, Hu Yaojin, are convinced he was killed only so his kidneys could be sold for transplant operations - and they are demanding an apology from authorities.
"We got no warning that this execution was going to take place," Hu told London's Daily Telegraph. "It was done in secret, even though the Government should obtain the family's permission for operating on the body."
She cited an independent report, compiled by a researcher who has since vanished, as proof her nephew was executed to meet demand for organs. Wan was shot in a public square in Xingyang, Henan province. Witnesses claimed ambulances and doctors were waiting nearby, ready to receive the bodies.
"The four bodies, they were placed in the white ambulance and six kidneys were removed," the independent report said.
"The organs were put into preservation solution and transported to two local hospitals where six patients were waiting for a transplant.
"All had reached agreement with the Xinyang public security department on the price of the operation."
The first the families knew of the deaths was when the ashes of their loved ones were delivered to their homes.
Amnesty International estimates 90 per cent of organs used in transplants in China are taken from prisoners, but a 1984 rule states families must consent.
Cheng Weimin, who compiled the report, said blood samples were taken from the men two days before their execution. An anti-coagulant was administered before the execution beforehand to ensure their blood continued to flow after they were shot.
Liang has petitioned local authorities, demanding to know why her son's kidneys were taken without the family's consent. That petition was ignored, so she took her complaint to court, only to have her solicitor withdraw from the case amid complaints of intimidation.
The taking of organs is anathema to many Chinese who hold traditional beliefs. Confucian philosophy states the body is a gift from ancestors, and past and future generations are dishonoured if organs are removed.
Hu, a retired factory worker, told the Daily Telegraph that the family would fight on.
"The Government should compensate our family," she said.