Switzerland: Anti-Torture Exhibition held outside the United Nations Building during the UN Human Rights Commission

On the 14th of March, the annual United Nations Human Rights Commission (UNHRC) opened in Geneva. Due to construction work underway in Geneva Square, large-scale activities could not be held this year. Still, Dafa practitioners in Switzerland applied to use a corner of the construction site to hold an anti-torture exhibition in the afternoon of the 16th of March. They exposed the Chinese Communist Party’s atrocious persecution of Falun Gong practitioners to the people taking part in the UNHRC.

One after another, practitioners in Switzerland poured into Geneva from all over the country. Some brought stage props in their cars and arrived early at the site. Everyone was keen to do their bit to help and the efforts were very well coordinated. Some acted their roles in the anti-torture exhibition; some distributed leaflets to passers-by along the roadside; others demonstrated the five sets of Falun Gong exercises.

All these activities soon attracted the attention of the media. Some reporters came to take photographs of the anti-torture exhibition. Drivers in passing vehicles stopped to ask for more information and pedestrians watched carefully and raised questions. Practitioners also used various methods to answer people’s questions and expose the human rights abuses being carried out by the Chinese Communist Party. Some passers-by did not understand the Party’s cover-up of the truth about the persecution. Seeing this, one practitioner asked them, “Do you know about the student movement of 1989?” They said they did. This practitioner further asked, “Up until now have you heard of the Chinese Communist Party ever admitting to killing people in that incident?” They then understood what the practitioner was telling them. Some indicated right there and then that they would bring this up at the human rights meeting. Some also expressed interest in learning the practice.

The afternoon went by quickly. After the event was over, practitioners promised to see each other at the next event. During the entire UNHRC period, practitioners will use various methods to continue raising awareness about the human rights abuses against Falun Gong in China.