In the lead-up to the 2024 International Human Rights Day, Waldensian Church of Piazza Cavour in Rome hosted a human rights art exhibition sponsored by Amnesty International and European Bar Human Rights Institute (IDHAE, Institut des droits de l’Homme des Avocats européens).The event aimed to peacefully honor those whose rights have been violated. Artists gathered in the Dionigi Hall to use their paintings to highlight their concerns for human rights.
The organizer said:”The Exhibition is permanent and itinerant. Soon we will see it in institutional locations in other cities in Italy and, hopefully, also abroad.”
On December 8, at 4:30 PM local time, Waldensian Church President Laura Ronchi officially opened the exhibition. Emanuela Claudia del Re, the European Union Special Representative for the Sahel, spoke at the opening ceremony, emphasizing that human rights have become increasingly unimportant in public discourse, making them the defining challenge of the century.
83 paintings were displayed in an orderly manner in the exhibition hall, showcasing portraits of victims of human rights abuses worldwide. They come from all walks of life, including teachers, human rights activists, and civilians. Some have been released, while others have passed away due to persecution.
Each piece of artwork demonstrates the universality of human rights issues across different countries, while also silently narrating the ongoing struggles people have endured over the years to defend human rights.
One painting depicted Mahsa Amini of Iran, who was arrested on September 13, 2022, for allegedly failing to correctly wear her hijab. Relatives who were with her in the car were told she would attend a short re-education course. However, three days later, she died while still in police custody.
Another painting featured Alexei Navalnyj, founder of Russia’s Anti-Corruption Foundation. Navalny was targeted for his criticism of the regime through his participation in human rights events, his perspectives and art pieces. In 2017, he suffered a chemical attack that partially blinded him. Arrested in 2021. In October of the same year, he received the European Parliament’s Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought. In the same month, he was listed as a terrorist by the Russian Prison Commission, and on December 25, 2023, he was transferred to a prison in Kharp (60 kilometers north of the Arctic Circle) to serve his sentence. On February 16, 2024, he was found dead in prison.
The exhibition also highlighted Iranian human rights activist and Nobel Peace Prize laureate Narges Mohammadi. The 2023 Nobel Peace Prize winner has been imprisoned several times. She was detained in Shahr-e Rey, Tehran, where she was subjected to isolation and torture and denied medical assistance, and remains in detention.
The victim behind bars is Chinese journalist Zhang Zhan. She is also a Christian who was accused of “picking quarrels and provoking trouble” by the authorities for reporting on COVID-19 and was imprisoned for four years. On May 13, 2024, Zhang Zhan was released. On November 18 of the same year, she was arrested again by the authorities on suspicion of “picking quarrels and provoking trouble” for rescuing democratic activists. She is currently detained in the Shanghai Pudong New Area Detention Center.
“Since Xi Jinping came to power, the human rights situation in China has deteriorated rapidly,” a Christian from The Church of Almighty God told reporters. Her name is Wang Xiuqin, and she fled to Italy because of persecution for her faith. As a victim of human rights violations, she and other Christians with similar experiences came to express their support for the event.
They said that they felt unprecedented freedom in Italy, their faith was respected here, and this exhibition made them feel warm. They also hope to speak out for those who are still living in darkness through such activities.
As mentioned in the event introduction, Amnesty International founder Benenson has an idea that is very suitable for this exhibition:
“It is better to light a candle than to stay in the dark.”
