June 2017 Persecution Magazine

The United States, while not perfect,
has for decades been the champion of the
repressed and oppressed. Moreover, those
who suffer under despotic regimes have
often looked to us to champion their cause
and denounce their dictators.
I am reminded of the Soviet dissident
Natan Sharansky and his remarks on
President Reagan’s denunciation of the
USSR as an “evil empire:”
“It was the great brilliant moment
when we learned that Ronald Reagan
had proclaimed the Soviet Union an
Evil Empire before the entire world.
Finally, a spade had been called a
spade. Finally, Orwell’s Newspeak
was dead. President Reagan had from
that moment made it impossible for
anyone in the West to continue closing
their eyes to the real nature of the
Soviet Union.
For us, that was the moment that
really marked the end for them and
the beginning for us. The lie had been
exposed and could never, ever be
untold now.”
Each generation witnesses its own
atrocities and unchallenged evils. This
week, President Trump has a unique
opportunity to call out the North Korean
regime for what it is and to challenge
China to end its policy of repatriating
North Korean defectors.
Such a move on the president’s part
would find support on both sides of the
aisle, demonstrate moral leadership to
critics and supporters alike, save thousands
from the camps and firing squads of
the Kim regime, and be a bold first step in
building a legacy as a champion of human
rights and freedom. Maybe, if done well,
it could even be another “great, brilliant
moment” and the beginning of the end
for one of the most reprehensible evils of
our time.
PERSECU ION.org
INTERNATIONAL CHRISTIAN CONCERN
— Jeff King has served as the president
of International Christian Concern
(ICC) since 2002 and has traveled
extensively to meet with victims of religious
persecution around the world and
to provide assistance.
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