‘Organ merchant’ on trial in Baku

‘Organ merchant’ Vahid Khudatov is on trial in Baku and stands accused of organizing the illegal sale and transportation of the organs of 27 people.

Together with his accomplices, among whom there are several foreigners, Hudatov ‘helped’ the people sell their organs. 

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One of the ‘clients’, Said Agayev, told the court that he decided to sell his kidney to pay off a bank loan of 3,000 manat (about $1,765). He found an organ dealer through a relative and arranged to sell one of his kidneys for 12,000 manat (about $7,059)< However, he became frightened and changed his mind.

Some of the other ‘clients’, despite going to court, do not think what the defendant did was evil.

Shakir Nagiyev, for example, said that he sold a kidney for $17,000 and has no complaints. He received his money, an examination took place in Iran and the operation was performed in Tbilisi.

The sale and purchase of organs in Azerbaijan is prohibited and is considered a criminal offense. In February last year, Ministry of Health employee Elkhan Azizov suggested that the parliament lift this restriction.

“Maybe by making it legal, we will eliminate the problem of queuing for donor organs. It would be nice to allow this within certain limits. The sale of organs for criminal purposes, of course, must be severely punished,” Azizov said.

He also complained that the clinics refuse to transplant organs of people to patients who are not relatives, although there is no such prohibition in the law.