ISIS Justifies Organ Harvesting From Living Prisoners

The Islamic State may be harvesting organs from living prisoners for profit, according to a Reuters exclusive. The news company obtained a copy of Fatwa Number 68, which provides a religious justification for organ harvesting. "The apostate's life and organs don't have to be respected and may be taken with impunity," the document states. "Organs that end the captive's life if removed: The removal of that type is also not prohibited." "Apostates" could refer to anyone from captive Christians to Sunni or Shiite Muslims, Reuters reports. The document opens up the possibility the Islamic State is taking organs from prisoners—fatally if need be—and selling them.

The fatwa comes from the terrorist group's Islamic scholars. Reuters notes their interpretation of Islam does not match that of the majority of Muslims. The document—which was created last January—was obtained by the US government in a special forces raid in May. This is the first time any of the documents from the raid have been made public. While there is currently no proof the Islamic State is trafficking human organs, Iraq has accused them of doing it in the past. An Iraqi ambassador is pressuring the UN to use the document as evidence against the Islamic State. Read the full story here. (More Islamic State stories.)