Rockville, July 26 – In what is being billed as Japan’s worst mass murder since World War II, at least 19 were killed and another 26 seriously injured.
The attack occurred at Tsukui Yamayuri En centre, a care center for people with disabilities.
Satoshi Uematsu, a former employee at the center, is the prime suspect after surrendering and saying “I did it.”
Japanese newspaper Asahi Shimbun reported that the suspect told police: “I want to get rid of the disabled from this world.”
“This is a horrific attack on innocent human beings,” President Jennifer Laszlo Mizrahi said. “People with disabilities around the world face significant prejudices, low expectations and outrages. But the intentional homicidal attack which slaughtered innocent people is an outrage and a tragedy. Our hearts go out to the victims and to all who loved them. We hope for a full and fast recovery for all who were also injured. The fact is, however, that all over the world people with disabilities are disproportionally victims of crime. This must stop.”
According to NTV, Uematsu is calling for euthanasia of people with disabilities.
‘My goal is a world in which, in cases where it is difficult for the severely disabled to live at home and be socially active, they can be euthanized with the consent of their guardians,’ it quoted a submitted letter.
This was one of Hitler’s goals in the Holocaust.
As the nation celebrates the 26th Anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), Americans are able to physical get to the places they need to be. RespectAbility’s board members Tony Coelho and Steve Bartlett are two of the authors of the ADA.
Yet more needs to be done. Culture involving death of people with disabilities including the film Me Before You, add to the stigma believing these acts are good and ought to be lauded.
