Czech Republic: The First Anti-Torture Exhibition in the Czech Republic Deeply Touches the Hearts of Brno Citizens (Photos)

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Czech Republic: The First Anti-Torture Exhibition in the Czech Republic Deeply Touches the Hearts of Brno Citizens (Photos)

September 30, 2004

(Clearwisdom.net) On September 8, 2004, practitioners from the Czech Republic, Bratislava in Slovakia and the United Kingdom met in the city of Brno, the capital of Moravia, to let its citizens know in graphic detail about the persecution of Falun Gong practitioners in China. A new method of clarifying the truth, an anti-torture exhibition, demonstrated the contrast between Falun Dafa's peaceful and harmonious exercises and meditation and the appalling methods used to torture practitioners in China.

This exhibition became a focal point for the citizens of Brno that day, since nothing like that had ever taken place in the city before. Practitioners in golden and red suits were demonstrating the exercises and meditation, handing out flyers in several languages and explaining the facts of the persecution. Others wearing blood-dye stained white shirts, torn and burned trousers with Chinese "police officers" standing behind them, were portraying the torture methods currently suffered by fellow practitioners in China.

Among the displayed torture methods were practitioners made-up with realistic-looking injuries suffered from confinement in a small cell, a cell too low to sit in and too short to lie down, from being hung up by their wrists, burnt by red hot metal implements and senselessly beaten by their torturers who were portrayed by Czech and Slovak practitioners wearing Chinese police uniforms. A professional make-up artist who offered to help came before the exhibition to do the make up.

Also on display were eight boards showing many other torture methods used in China right now. After reading these boards and seeing the tortures many people turned around, sometimes with sadness, sometimes with tears in their eyes but always with outrage asking the practitioners, "What, what do you want us to do? How can we help you?" Then they would move straight to the petition table to sign the petition and to ask how could they support our activities to help put an end to these horrors. Their faces said it all. People were deeply touched by the inhumanity of the persecution. Some could not even believe this could be happening today and some offered us help by handing out flyers to inform more people about it.

The evening was setting in and the practitioners had to pack all their banners and exhibits. But people were still tirelessly reading the display boards that had not yet been packed away and standing around well into the evening beyond the exhibition closing time. They wanted to sign our petition and talk. That is how impressive this gathering was.

As a result several citizens have decided to go to the daily classes in the city's main park to learn the exercises and to a class that reads Falun Gong [The beginner's book] and Zhuan Falun [Falun Dafa's main text].

As this was the first anti-torture exhibition on Czech and Slovak soil, all practitioners were ready to assume the roles of either the victims or the persecutors and during and after the exhibition were amazed, energized and greatly encouraged to have experienced such a tremendous response from the Brno's public.

In addition, three young girls and four boys could not get away without learning the exercises and insisted that the practitioners teach them in the middle of the exhibition.

Local paper "Rovnost" (The Equality) came to find out about the persecution for an article that came out next day. Also an independent journalist took many pictures and as she was particularly interested to hear a practitioner's story and experience with the Falun Dafa practice. She interviewed one of the practitioners.

A representative of the city council came to check and make sure everything was all right with the exhibition and offered his help. The city police also came and truly policed the exhibition, gently moving on anyone who might disturb the peace of the exhibition and safeguarding the proper environment.

All media, police, local authority and council officers who came to visit the exhibition, as well as many small children and some adults were given beautiful color paper lotus flowers with Zhen Shan Ren labels in English and in Chinese. UK practitioners sent these lotus flowers as an expression of help and support to the Czech and Slovak practitioners for their exhibitions. The Czech and Slovak practitioners also made lotus flowers in many beautiful mixed colors.

Both veteran and new practitioners were greatly encouraged, energized and transformed by the experience of the exhibition. Some of these practitioners have traveled long distances to participate in the exhibition.

Those practitioners who were not so sure of themselves were assured and strengthened by the exhibition and began to understand how powerful and necessary such exhibition was. It could clearly show in detail the torture and tell the truth in great depth to so many people at once so that they could understand that these tortures are happening now in China and need to be stopped.