1964 Awake! - Theocratic Collector.com

FREEDOM
of worship
is one of the fundamental
liberties granted by all enlightened
nations. But when it
is taken for granted, it is easily
lost. Suppression of freedom
at first usually affects only
"unpopular minorities," but
soon large sections of the population
find that their liberty
is gone.
Recognizing this danger, freedom-loving
people in all nations have sought to protect
their freedom by law, and those who
have been the victims of religious persecution
have been willing to face deprivation,
prison bonds and even death in order to
preserve their God-given right to worship.
As a result of this continuous struggle,
freedom of worship is enjoyed throughout
a large part of the world today. But there
are exceptions.
One such is Portugal and its overseas
provinces. During recent months the Portuguese
police have hounded private citizens,
invaded their homes, ransacked personal
belongings and arrested persons who
simply possessed or were caught reading
or discussing the Bible.
Homes Invaded, Bibles Seized
On the evening of August 21, 1963, five
policemen with guns in hand broke into
a private home in the town of A veiro,
8
where a small group of Jehovah's witnesses
and their friends Were peacefully
studying the Bible. The home was thoroughly
searched, and Bibles and Bible
literature were confiscated. All present
were put under arrest and herded off
to the local police station. There these
Christians, including
a yearold
baby, were
held until four
o'clock the next
morning, at
which time the police
finally decided to let
the children go home.
The rest were kept
until five o'clock in
the afternoon, when
they were formally
charged with holding
illegal meetings and
released to await trial.
At the trial it was clearly shown that
Jehovah's witnesses are in no way connected
with any political movement to
undermine the Portuguese government,
and that throughout the free world they
are recognized as a legitimate Christian
organization. It was made plain that at the
time their privacy was invaded by the police
they were merely holding a Bible study
class, as Jehovah's witnesses do openly in
all COW1tries where there is freedom of
worship. The evidence presented to this effect
was irrefutable.
However, nearly a month after listening
to the case, the judge declared that the
ten Witnesses involved were guilty. He
sent Mr. and Mrs. Antonio dos Santos
Beirao, parents of a one-year-old baby and
a thirteen-year-old daughter, to prison, and
gave the other eight Witnesses suspended
sentences with a probation of two years.
In an effort to scare them into forsaking
AWAKEI