Germany: Anti-Torture Exhibition Sees Widespread Support and Concern for China’s Persecuted Falun Gong Practitioners

On the 11th of December 2004, Falun Gong practitioners from Magdeburg and nearby cities organised a Falun Gong information day and an anti-torture exhibition in Magdeburg city centre.

The anti-torture exhibition, exposing the brutal torture methods used by the Jiang regime to persecute Falun Gong practitioners in China, was the most touching part of the day’s activities. As soon as the practitioners acted out the scene of innocent people being tortured by Chinese policemen, a large number of people came to look. After seeing the posters revealing how Falun Gong practitioners in China are being tortured because they refuse to renounce their beliefs, people were greatly shocked and could not believe that this is happening. Many people said that this anti-torture exhibition brought back their memories of the old East German regime. Practitioners told them that what actually happens in China is much worse what can be seen in the exhibition, which is only the tip of the iceberg.

The most commonly asked question was, “Why is this is happening?” When practitioners explained that these innocent and harmless people are being persecuted purely because they want to be a good person by following the principles of Truthfulness, Compassion and Forbearance and don’t want to give up their belief, and that this brutal persecution has lasted more than five years and led to over 1,100 deaths, people asked what they could do to stop this persecution. They signed a petition to support bringing to justice both Jiang Zemin, the main instigator of this persecution, and the “6-10 Office”, an organisation established by Jiang with the sole purpose of eradicating Falun Gong practitioners. At the end of the activity, there were thirteen pages of petition signatures. Sometimes, people queued up to sign the petition and show their support.

A middle-aged lady cried when she saw the re-enacted torture scenes. She walked aside and tried to control herself. Then she walked to the practitioner who was demonstrating the Tiger Bench torture and asked, “Do you feel cold?” When it is really used to persecute someone, rather than being acted out, the Tiger Bench is an excruciatingly painful torture. The victim is tied on a narrow wooden or iron bench by the thighs and knees, with hands tied behind the back, then the legs are bent in the opposite direction by adding bricks under the heels.

Another elderly lady could not bear to see this brutal scene and walked aside with tears in her eyes. After a while, she came back to the practitioner acting a torture scene and asked him if he was all right and left two Euros in his pocket. Practitioner thanked her for her kindness and told her that Falun Gong does not accept donations. The purpose of our anti-torture exhibition is to let people know about the serious abuses of human rights and to support us to stop this inhuman persecution.

At the other side of the stand, practitioners continuously demonstrated the five sets of beautiful and gentle Falun Gong exercises. Many people came to watch and asked about the local practice sites where they can learn the exercises for free.

When a middle-aged gentleman learned about the persecution, he asked for a dozen newspapers from practitioners and said he wanted to give them to people he knew. The newspaper is very useful in helping people learn more about Falun Gong and the persecution because it contains detailed articles. His man also asked if he could help to distribute more newspapers when these ones were gone. Practitioners also left him an information contact number.

Soon after the activity started, a gentleman approached practitioners and said that they should go to China to sort out this problem, not Germany. At this time, another German gentleman, who was very formally dressed, came over and said to him, “Why? China abuses human rights. This should be known to everyone in the world.” Later practitioners talked with the first gentleman about Falun Gong and the ongoing brutal persecution. When he learned the truth, not only did he leave us his contact address, but he also suggested that we hold our activities in the street opposite the city government building so that more people can learn the truth.