Belgium: Truthfulness, Compassion, Forbearance International Art Exhibition Held in Riemst (Photos)
By a practitioner from Europe
(Clearwisdom.net) On the evening of October 7, the Truthfulness,
Compassion, Forbearance International Art Exhibition, sponsored by the Belgian
Falun Gong Association, had its opening ceremony in the town of Riemst, Belgium.
The exhibition was held with great support from the Riemst Bailiff and councilor
Mr. Peumans. St. Serverinus Church, with a history of over a thousand years and
the cultural center of this town, was specially chosen as the venue. At the opening ceremony, the exhibition hall was crowded with visitors from
Belgium and Holland. Mr. Peumans said in the opening speech, "I am very
happy to hold this art exhibition here. This place has just been redecorated,
making it very suitable for this purpose. Everyone of us should enjoy the
freedom to choose our own belief. However, today, in this century, it is really
unbelievable that such inhuman persecution is still happening against Falun Gong
practitioners. I am against torture." He also expressed his sincere wish
that, "It would be very good if more people could get to know the truth
about Falun Gong by visiting this exhibition. I wish everyone in Riemst would
come. I hope the beauty and compassion of this art exhibition can be brought
into every corner of our town." In the end, he encouraged Falun Gong
practitioners to hold this Truthfulness, Compassion, Forbearance International
Art Exhibition in other cities and towns. Theo van Boven, the former UN special rapporteur on torture, also made a
visit especially for this exhibition. Professor Theo van Boven is a
world-renowned professor of International Law. During his speech at the opening ceremony, Theo van Boven said, "We
should respect human beings' beliefs. We should not abuse others. While I was
working as the UN special rapporteur on torture, I reported the situation of
those Falun Gong practitioners who are being tortured. I also brought many of
these cases to the attention of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and asked them
to explain. Though we got some replies, they either denied the truth or gave a
very superficial answer. The CCP regime especially uses the forced labor camps
and psychiatric hospitals to torture Falun Gong practitioners and other
dissidents. They describe those people as anti-social and anti-scientific, then
use this excuse to suppress them. When we see these artworks, we can experience
the inhuman torture that Falun Gong practitioners have suffered." Professor Theo van Boven pointed out, "This art exhibition should tour
around the whole world. Let people be aware that this is still happening in
China." He also talked about the current situation, "I have discovered
that today western society has developed many economic relationships with China.
They all want to earn money. However, they do not see the human rights aspect,
and this is very dangerous. We have to look at the end of this road: What really
matters is how we human beings treat each other, not economic power." Mr. Matthias from the Belgium Falun Dafa Association thanked everyone for
their support. He gave a brief introduction of the exhibition and explained its
purpose. He said he hoped people could understand the truth of Falun Gong and
the on-going persecution in China. This art exhibition attracted many people. Members of the Dutch branch of the
human rights organization International Amnesty attended as well as a famous
economist and his family members. This art exhibition will continue for two
weekends. Some local TV stations and newspapers, including NTDTV and The
Epoch Times, covered this event.
Mr. Matthias from the Belgium Falun Gong Association addresses the
audience
Councilor Mr. Peumans gives the opening speech
Former UN special rapporteur on torture Theo van Boven gives a speech
The exhibition hall was crowded with visitors from all walks of life. They
viewed the works and listened to practitioners' explanations.
Chinese version available at
http://minghui.org/mh/articles/2005/10/15/112483.html
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