Switzerland: Anti-Torture Exhibition held in the Capital Berne

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On July 20th 1999, Jiang Zemin launched the brutal persecution of Falun Gong practitioners, which has lasted for five years in Mainland China. On July 17th, many Falun Gong practitioners from all over Switzerland gathered together to hold an Anti-Torture Exhibition in the Capital Berne, to tell people the truth about Falun Gong, and call for the end of the brutal persecution.

This was the first time that Swiss practitioners had held an Anti-Torture Exhibition. They overcame lots of difficulties, preparing carefully night and day. The costumes and torture instruments were made in a very short time. For the make-up to be really effective, some practitioners made a special visit to a professional make-up artist in a Berne Theatre. After she heard about the persecution of Falun Gong and the significance of the Anti-Torture Exhibition she was very moved and not only sold the cosmetics at a preferential price, but also gave some for free and gave her best wishes for the success of the activity. In this exhibition, there were University students who were around twenty years old, as well as practitioners who were nearly seventy years old. A young practitioner had just given birth two months ago. Leaving their baby to be looked after by friends, she and her husband took part in the exhibition for a whole day.

Practitioners who would be performing arrived in Berne the night before. They rehearsed carefully until well after midnight, and got up at around 5 o’clock in the morning, to do preparations such as make-up. Around 11 o’clock in the morning, when the practitioners who had been ‘tortured' and 'beaten black and blue' were held under duress by the ‘evil police’, lots of practitioners shed their tears as the performance was so real. Many passersby were shocked after seeing the exhibition, some ladies' eyes were filled with tears. They went to the practitioners to ask for information about Falun Gong. A kind middle-aged lady, sobbing, asked, ‘Are they really tortured like this in China?' The practitioners answered that the torture methods the practitioners in China are suffering are even more brutal! She shook her head and kept saying, ‘Too brutal! Too brutal!’ A Swiss musician who once visited China said that he watched the practitioners’ performance with tears, feeling a trembling in his heart. He expressed his understanding and support for Falun Gong practitioners’ action of protecting human rights, saying, 'Justice will certainly defeat evil, and the sunshine will shine on us.' He sat at the open air coffee shop nearby, watching the exhibition, not feeling like leaving. Some young Spanish students led by their teacher passed by our exhibition. The teacher urged them to leave because of the limited time they had, although many of them didn’t want to leave. In the afternoon, two of them went back to the exhibition from far away in their break time, saying that they were shocked by the exhibition in the morning, and very impressed. They asked for information materials, looking forward to learning more about Falun Gong and its persecution in China.

A young Swiss man who used to practice Kung Fu in China, watched the exhibition for a long time. Asked for his impression, he answered, 'Indignant! I’ve heard of suppression happening in China, but this is the first time I have really seen it, and it makes me very shocked! It is so brutal that I can hardly explain my feelings in words!’

Many people said that it is unbelievable, in the 21st century, in Mainland China, which is said to be ‘in the best period of its human rights situation’, Jiang Zemin has used the entire state machinery to commit such brutal crimes against its citizens who believe in Truthfulness, Compassion, Tolerance. Many thought it was well-done, encouraging Falun Gong practitioners to carry on.

One of the actresses who performed as a victim of torture said during an interview with journalists, 'Our purpose of being here today is to tell the people what is happening in China right now. However, compared to the real situation in China, today’s performance is just a tiny tip of a big iceberg. Falun Gong practitioners only want to be a good people following ‘truthfulness compassion tolerance’, but are being brutally persecuted in Mainland China. It is time to stop it now! When all the people in the world know the truth of Falun Gong, the persecution will stop. It is also our aim to do this today.'

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