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Two reputable scientific journals retracted two articles based on DNA samples from Uyghurs in western China after questions arose about whether the subjects had given full consent.
The two studies were published in 2019 by the International Journal of Legal Medicine and Human Genetics, both owned by the academic publisher Springer Nature. They listed multiple authors, including Li Caixia, a forensic expert at China’s Ministry of Public Security. International Journal of Forensic Medicine, retraction Tuesday, Human Genetics published the statement on August 30
Both studies were central. 2019 article by The New York Times He described how Chinese researchers analyzed DNA samples from hundreds of Uyghurs for a process called DNA phenotyping, which attempts to reconstruct a person’s face, including their height, based on DNA samples alone.
Withdrawals are rare in the academic world. The scientists say the retraction of the articles points to broader failures in consent procedures and the need for extra scrutiny involving vulnerable groups such as oppressed minorities. Uighurs, a predominantly Muslim minority living in the Xinjiang region, mass incarceration in concentration camps and live under heavy surveillance.
For years, several scientists have argued It would be impossible to confirm that members of the minority group willingly gave blood samples for research, especially when Chinese police officials are involved. Many Uighurs told The Times en masse summoned to give blood samples to the government under the guise of a free health check. They said they had no choice but to obey.
Both the International Journal of Legal Medicine and Human Genetics said there were concerns about “ethical and consent procedures” after the articles were published.
In similarly worded language, the journals said they “require supporting documents from authors, including the application form submitted to the ethics committee and proof of ethical approval.”
“Documentation provided by the authors contains insufficient information regarding the scope of the study for us to ensure that the protocols comply with our editorial policies or comply with international ethical standards,” the journals wrote.
In notes published in the International Journal of Forensic Medicine and Human Genetics, scientist from China’s Ministry of Public Security, Dr. Li has reportedly objected to the withdrawals on behalf of other authors. None of the authors responded to The Times for comment.
Yves Moreau, an engineering professor at the Catholic University of Leuven in Belgium, who led a years-long campaign to withdraw articles based on Uyghur DNA, said he has contacted five academic journals to have such articles withdrawn. So far, four have withdrawn, and Professor Moreau has described it as “just scratching the surface”.
he had Previously analyzed 529 studies from China This involved genetic research and found that nearly half of those published between 2011 and 2018 had a co-author from the police, military, or judiciary.
“These lines are very clear,” said Professor Moreau. You can’t say, “I didn’t know, I didn’t know, and I have no influence.”
in 2018 Dr. Li told Nature:The scientific journal said the studies were approved by the Institute of Forensic Sciences and “all individuals gave written informed consent.”
“We are ordinary forensic scientists who conduct forensic research following the norms of scientific research ethics,” he wrote.
In May 2020, the US government, Dr. He blacklisted Li’s Institute of Forensic Sciences. Access to US technology. The US said the institute was “complicated in the human rights violations and abuses committed in China’s campaign of oppression, mass arbitrary detention, forced labor and high-tech surveillance of Muslim minorities in Xinjiang.”
Springer Nature previously Retracted the 2019 article He looked at DNA samples of male ethnic minorities in China, including the Uyghurs. Three of the authors belonged to the police criminal department in Karamay, a city in Xinjiang. In 2019, the US government sent Karamay police on a mission, along with other police departments. blacklist for rights violations in the region.
According to this note, also published in the International Journal of Legal Medicine, the article was withdrawn by one of the authors due to ethical concerns. The corresponding author informed the publisher that the study was conducted without the approval of the institutional ethics committees, contrary to the ethical statement in the article.
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