(Related report: AP: Chinese embassy officials try to stop exhibit of works by Falun Gong painter (excerpt) http://www.clearwisdom.net/emh/articles/2003/4/8/34263.html)


Mr. _________ and all Falun Gong practitioners who wrote to our Embassy:

Thank you for your messages regarding the exhibit in Romania of painter Zhang Cuiying, a Falun Gong practitioner. These messages and the information provided by Mr. [name omitted] during his meeting with me have been conveyed to the Romanian Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA).

I have the pleasure to inform you that based upon the information received from the Romanian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, from the point of view of the Romanian authorities, Ms. Zhang Cuiying is free to organize and hold a paintings exhibition in Romania on commercial basis and in the framework of the Romanian laws. The closing of the exhibit at [the theater's name] in Bucharest was caused by misunderstandings related to organizational matters in which the Romanian authorities have not been involved. Because the Romanian MFA is not competent to conduct investigations, further inquiries about this case should be addressed to the competent Romanian institutions, such as the Ministry of the Interior and the General Police Inspectorate. According to the information that the Romanian Ministry of Foreign Affairs has, the organizers intend to reopen the exhibit in the near future.

The respect for fundamental human rights and freedoms is a principle upheld by the Constitution of Romania and to which the Romanian Government is strongly committed. Against this background, Falun Gong has [been] legally registered in Romania since February this year.

I hope this is responsive to your questions and concerns. Please feel free to forward this message to other members who might be interested in this case.

Respectfully,

Marcela
Embassy of Romania