Beijing: Chinese researcher He Jiankui, who shocked the world by announcing the birth of first genetically edited babies, was jailed on Monday for three years along with two others with lesser sentence for illegal medical practice by a court in southern China.
He, who was also fined USD 430,000, claimed in November 2018 that the world's first genetically edited babies were born with their DNA altered to prevent them from contracting HIV.
His announcement created a furore in the international scientific community about possible ethical and medical impact of his experiment and led to immediate investigation from Chinese authorities.
The Nanshan District People's Court of Shenzhen said He, former associate professor with the Southern University of Science and Technology, and two others were convicted for illegal medical practice.
Zhang Renli and Qin Jinzhou from two medical institutes in Guangdong Province received jail terms of two years and 18 months with a two-year reprieve, respectively, as well as fines, state-run Xinhua news agency reported.
