(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.

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

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.

The exhibition hall was crowded with visitors from all walks of life. They viewed the works and listened to practitioners' explanations.

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.

Source: http://clearharmony.net/articles/200510/29457.html