One of the aims of the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) persecution of Falun Dafa is to destroy a practitioner’s spiritual identity formed by faith and culture simply because it does not conform to the ‘party culture.’ This is illustrated by over 100 documented forms of inhumane torture used in an attempt to force Falun Dafa practitioners both to relinquish their beliefs and to stop their actions of peaceful appealing in Beijing for the injustices against Falun Dafa. The nature of torture is to attempt to force a person to do something they do not want to by inflicting pain and injury on him or her. Barbaric and sadistic forms of torture are used to break minds, backs, necks, and other bones, stretch muscles beyond capacity, pulverize, electrically shock or burn the body causing external and internal damages. Even under these grueling, life-threatening, and disabling conditions the courage and strength of practitioners’ spiritual identities formed by faith and culture are not destroyed.

Ironically, the CCP’s persecution is causing persons who sought and achieved improved health and fitness from Falun Dafa to become seriously injured, chronically ill, or permanently disabled. It can also kill them. In this report, the term “disabled” means the loss of physical, sensory, or mental abilities. The torture situations causing the disabilities are horrifying.

Once a practitioner becomes disabled due to persecution he or she is often deprived of necessary medical care as well as the rights typically afforded to persons with disabilities. For example, from the samples in this report, you will find that the rehabilitation needed for people incurring spinal cord injuries or torn retinas is not provided, or when provided, not available on a timely basis to facilitate maximum post-injury functioning or to rectify the condition if that is possible. Basic medical care is often denied until death is imminent. Practitioners are detained and tortured even further despite being unable to perform basic functions such as standing, sitting up, eating, talking, hearing, seeing, and moving. Once released, many Falun Dafa practitioners who became disabled due to the persecution continue to demonstrate great courage in seeking legal redress but often find only harassment and humiliation. Many disabled practitioners encounter additional discrimination in employment and the denial of disability benefits.

To date, it is estimated that this persecution has created at least 10,000 new cases of permanent disability among the citizens of China. Their abilities to survive, mend, heal, and move toward independent lifestyles as persons with disabilities are greatly hampered under the current CCP regime’s of inhumane and illegal policies toward Falun Dafa practitioners.

This report contains examples of Falun Dafa practitioners in China who have become disabled due to the persecution against Falun Dafa. Due to space limitations, we are only able to present a small number of these tragic stories.

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