Suppliers claim that all of the bodies and organ specimens in Bodies Revealed came from individuals who chose to donate their bodies to accredited medical universities in the People’s Republic of China. File photo
Bulgaria's National History Museum director has reacted strongly to the famous, but controversial "Bodies Revealed" exhibition of actual human bodies in Sofia, calling on prosecutors to intervene.
"The exhibition is highly likely to contain an element of crimes against humanity," Bozhidar Dimitrov commented on Wednesday.
"These are the bodies of real people who have had personal identities and lives, including a pregnant woman with a fetus. We don't know how they died, nor do we know whether their relatives have agreed to this act, which breaches all religion's rule to bury the dead. What if those people died just because they were needed as exhibits?"
“An investigation into the case should be launched immediately, prosecutors should ban the event and arrest its organizers,” he stated.
Right after the exhibition opened its doors on April 25, Bulgarian orthodox Church officials came up with an official declaration, condemning it as "godless, inhumane and harmful."
Gavriil, metropolitan Bishop of the district of Lovech, described the exhibition as "absurd", claiming that it "reduces the human personality to its bodily form."
The Bishop further noted that the exhibition is available for schoolchildren and even 5-year-old kids, which he deems inappropriate.
The "Bodies Revealed" is an exhibition showcasing preserved human bodies dissected to display bodily systems. The bodies and body parts have been preserved through a polymer preservation process.
The exhibition has appeared in numerous cities across the world over the years.
The exhibition was opened on Thursday, April 25, in the Bulgarian capital's TSUM retail center.
Bodies Revealed was created by Premier Exhibitions, Inc. of Atlanta, Ga.
Suppliers have confirmed that all of the bodies and organ specimens in Bodies Revealed came from individuals who chose to donate their bodies to accredited medical universities in the People’s Republic of China.
All specimens were then received by plastination facilities in China, they claim.