A PUBLICIZED TRIAL

A report sent by a government official from Irkutsk to Moscow stated: “[Jehovah’s Witnesses in Irkutsk Oblast] had developed large-scale underground activities. During the second half of 1959, KGB agencies discovered five underground printeries.” These printeries were located in the Siberian towns of Zima and Tulun, as well as the villages of Kitoy, Oktyabr’skiy, and Zalari. Following the discoveries came the arrests of those involved in the printing.

Four brothers who were initially arrested gave written statements about the printing operation. Cunningly, investigators coerced these brothers into doing so. Then the KGB distorted and published those testimonies in local newspapers. These four brothers were released, and eight others were arrested. Their trial was to be held in Tulun in April 1960. The KGB made preparations for a highly publicized, showy court process. They planned to use the four brothers who had been freed as witnesses for the prosecution. Many in the congregations developed the impression that these brothers had given themselves over to the KGB.

The KGB also intended to use this show trial to destroy the faith of any Witnesses in attendance and to turn the local population against them. With this in mind, the KGB organized pretrial tours of one basement where the brothers had printed literature for several years. Soon the town was buzzing with rumors about the activities of an underground “sect.” When the day for the trial came, the hall was filled with more than 300 people, including newspaper and TV reporters, some even coming from Moscow. Many of Jehovah’s Witnesses were also present.

THE COURT WAS IN UTTER CONFUSION

Unexpectedly, however, the KGB’s plans suddenly began to unravel. The brothers who had given testimony had realized their mistake. On the day before the trial, all of them made a firm resolve to do everything in their power to give glory to Jehovah. During the trial, they declared that they had been deceived and that their testimony had been distorted. Then they announced: “We are prepared to sit on the prisoners’ bench alongside our brothers.” The court was in utter confusion.

Moreover, under cross-examination the brothers on trial succeeded in giving answers that did not implicate others. For example, when the judge asked Grigory Timchuk who had built the printery in his house, he answered, “I built it.” When asked who printed the literature, he answered, “I printed it.” When asked who distributed the literature, he answered, “I distributed it.” When asked who bought and delivered the paper, he once again answered, “I did that too.” Then the prosecutor asked: “So who are you? Are you your own manager, supplier, and worker?”

[Picture on page 136]

In 1959, “Crocodile” magazine printed a picture of this literature discovered in a haystack

[Picture on page 139]

Beneath this house was one of the printeries discovered by the KGB in 1959