China claims to protect the rights of disabled persons. Not if they dare to complain about the government.
by Liu Wangmin
When the CCP is accused of being among the world’s worst human rights violators, it often answers that it has a “different” idea of human rights. It claims to protect social rights to health, welfare, and work, prioritizing them over democratic rights such as freedom of speech or of religion. At the United Nations, China has even mentioned that it has a good record on protecting disability rights.
On paper, this is true. Since 2008, China has a law safeguarding the rights of persons with disabilities. The law is similar to its counterparts in democratic countries. A provision that “realistic and practical rehabilitation programs shall be worked out to combine modern techniques with traditional Chinese techniques” looks very much Chinese, but traditional medicine remains generally popular, and few would object to its use.
The incident is part of an alarming series of attacks against Catholic statues and churches in the United States.
by Massimo Introvigne
Emotion still runs high at St. Elisabeth, Van Nuys, often referred to by Roman Catholics as “the Mother Church of San Fernando Valley” in Greater Los Angeles. The community dates back to 1919, and a new church was consecrated in 1950. In the 1980s and 1990s, St. Elisabeth became a predominantly Spanish-speaking community, with a robust Mexican presence. A mural depicting the Virgin of Guadalupe became a natural rallying point for the Mexican Catholics of St. Elisabeth, and flowers were never missing.
Last week, the mural was attacked by a man who hit it 18 times with a long sledgehammer, as the parish reported. The man was caught on camera, and the Los Angeles Police Department immediately launched an investigation—so far, without results.
