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Communists Continue to Persecute Jehovah’s Witnesses

CAN those do good who are accustomed to doing bad deliberately? No more than a leopard can change his spots. Thus God’s Word answers at Jeremiah 13:23.

Today the predatory, bloodstained, intolerant totalitarian leopard of communism claims to have changed his spots. In his overtures for friendship with the West his spokesmen are making loud and profuse pretensions of reform, blaming all his past misdeeds on one Stalin.

Those who are inclined to indulge in wishful thinking have been quick to conclude that because the communistic leopard has changed his tactics and propaganda line he has also had a change of heart. But actions speak louder than words, and, in view of the facts, the warning of a wise ruler of long ago is apropos:

“Eat thou not the bread of him that hath an evil eye, neither desire thou his dainties: For as he thinketh within himself, so is he: Eat and drink, saith he to thee; but his heart is not with thee.”—Prov. 23:6, 7, AS.

One striking evidence of the insincerity of the Communists appears in their treatment of Jehovah’s witnesses. They step up the arrests of the witnesses, though they release other “political” prisoners.

Proof of this is seen in the report appearing in the Berlin Daily Mirror, June 9, 1956, under the heading “No Persecution on Account of Faith in Soviet Zone?” which had the following to say about the situation in East Germany:

“During recent weeks groups of political prisoners of nearly all categories were released from prison institutions in the Soviet Zone before serving out their terms. One category, however, comprising 1/15 of all political prisoners was not represented among those released: ‘Jehovah’s witnesses.’ On the contrary, new arrests have taken place in Altenburg, Rostock, and Magdeburg and that as late as April and May.

“Though Jehovah’s witnesses avoid having anything to do with any kind of political intrigue or conspiracy—this being also a part of their confession of faith—they have been accused of being spies, diversionists and foreign agents. Moreover, they have been charged with violating the infamous Article 6 (aimed at circulating prejudicial rumors, instigating boycotts and imperilling peace), and this, after General Prosecutor Melzheimer had announced a revision of that Article.

“Till now all proceedings against these accused ones have been held with the public debarred. Neither relatives, friends nor witnesses for the defense have been permitted to take part. Since August 8, 1950, 2,814 witnesses have been arrested, 1,299 of whom are still in prison. Only in a very few cases were the sentences reduced. In 73 cases a verdict has not even been given or made known. Thirty-four witnesses of Jehovah have died in prison or perished because of inhuman treatment. The average sentence is upward of six years; fourteen have received life terms.

“Until 1954 these prisoners were not allowed to work. Often they had to wear red ribbons around the arm and leg, which meant no reading of books, no playing chess and no attending of occasional movies, as well as living in isolation. As the witnesses do not eat blood sausage, and this is often the only kind of meat served, they have also suffered from a lack of nutrition.

“Grotewohl [prime minister] has repeatedly stated that there is no persecution because of faith in the ‘DDR’ [German Democratic Republic]. However, if proof of this is ever to be given, then the gates of freedom must finally open for the witnesses of Jehovah also.”

That this persecution is not limited to East Germany is seen from the report appearing two days later in another Berlin paper, the Monday’s-Echo, June 11, 1956. Under the page-wide headline: “Thousands of Jehovah’s Witnesses Languish in Siberia,” the report stated:

“Berlin (AP). At an assembly of ‘Jehovah’s witnesses’ held over the weekend in West Berlin, a Memel German who had just returned from the Soviet Union, reported that thousands of members of their denomination are still in Siberian prison camps. The person who returned reported that he had been imprisoned in 1951 because of his faith, and that in spite of the ban the witnesses of Jehovah keep on preaching their faith inside the camps.”

Why does this fierce and powerful leopard of communism take such ruthless action against the peace-loving witnesses of Jehovah within his borders? One reason doubtless is that there is no propaganda value in releasing them. Another is that the Communist leopard fears Bible truth. Truth is so much more powerful than lying communistic propaganda. And further, Jehovah’s witnesses stand by the Scriptural principle that Jehovah God comes first and Caesar can have only that which God does not require. Communism, demanding to be recognized as supreme, has therefore a consuming hatred for all those who put God first, who unequivocally refuse to compromise.—Matt. 22:21.

So long as Jehovah’s witnesses by the thousands languish behind Communist prison bars and barbwire fences and more are being arrested, the propaganda line about communism’s having had a change of heart must be branded as sheer hypocrisy. The free world, so called, should be thankful for the example of Jehovah’s witnesses, whose fearless and uncompromising stand against totalitarianism sets in such bold relief the ruthlessness, the intolerance and the hypocrisy of the Communists. No question about it, the Communist leopard has not changed his spots.

“Happy are you when people reproach you and persecute you and lyingly say every kind of wicked thing against you for my sake.”—Matt. 5:11, NW.