Exhibitor of Cincinnati’s Bodies the Exhibition settles with NY Attorney General

Premier Exhibition, exhibitor of Bodies the Exhibition that is currently being shown at the Cincinnati Museum Center has settled with the NY Attorney General’s Office.

“The grim reality is that Premier Exhibitions has profited from displaying the remains of individuals who may have been tortured and executed in China,” said Attorney General Cuomo. 

“Despite repeated denials, we now know that Premier itself cannot demonstrate the circumstances that led to the death of the individuals.  Nor is Premier able to establish that these people consented to their remains being used in this manner.  Respect for the dead and respect for the public requires that Premier do more than simply assure us that there is no reason for concern.  This settlement is a start.”

Premier Exhibitions will provide full ticket refunds to all customers who ask for it.

The Premier lawyer who negotiated the settlement, general counsel Brian Wainger, said, “We are happy to have this behind us.” Wainger said the settlement terms only applied to exhibits in the state of New York but that the company would “adopt practices that mirror New York’s requirements” in its operations worldwide.

It’s been clear since the 20/20 news show that there are strong questions of where Premier Exhibitions gets bodies.  It was shown that Premier may have been purchasing the bodies of executed prisoners from the black market.  Political dissidents and religious practitioners are amongst that prisoners in China.  So, if there are executed prisoners, in this exhibit, there may be people in this exhibit that have committed no crimes except for speaking out against the Chinese government.

The Cincinnati Museum Center has been hiding behind Premier’s “documentation” and profiting from this display.  The Cincinnati Museum Center has said that it would:

“act accordingly in response to any credible findings that may emerge from follow-up investigations being conducted by Premier Exhibitions and the New York Attorney General”

The Cincinnati Museum Center has previously chosen to take the low road and to wait and see if it can get away with profiting from the show.  If the Cincinnati Museum Center had an ethical backbone, it would sue Premier to break its contract and close the exhibit. 

UPDATE: (fixed link below)
Press Release from NY Attorney General’s Office: CUOMO SETTLEMENT WITH “BODIES. . . .THE EXHIBITION” ENDS THE PRACTICE OF USING HUMAN REMAINS OF SUSPECT ORIGINS

From ABCnews.com: Crackdown on Ghoulish ‘Body Exhibitions’
From NYTimes.com: ‘Bodies’ Show Must Put Up Warnings