Wang Mingcheng, the first person in China to be prosecuted for practicing euthanasia on his mother, died Sunday in West China's Shaanxi Province, Chinese media reported.

In 1986, Wang's mother was dying with liver cancer. After learning that his mother's condition was hopeless, he asked Pu Liansheng, the physician in charge, to administer medication to let his mother die without pain.

Wang and Pu were later arrested and prosecuted for intentional homicide. Six years later, they were found not guilty.

In 2003, Wang was diagnosed with stomach cancer. Knowing that he had no hope of recovery, Wang applied for euthanasia in June, but the hospital refused him because there was no law allowing the practice of euthanasia in China. Wang then left the hospital and returned home, ending the medical treatment.

In an interview with a Chinese newspaper journalist July 30, Wang said he was very sorry he had been unable to get euthanasia. Tortured by the disease, he had been reduced to little more than a skeleton at the time.

Wang died in the early hours of Sunday.

(Shenzhen Daily August 5, 2003)