Brivais Laveitis, March 15, 1949

              (MJ e aceme
Warning to the Civilized World
We are' waiting lor an international action in.behalf of the piomised
freedom and independence of the small nations. We are afraid, howe.ver,
le st help should come too late, Our best men and our most. courageous
you may bö dead then. We are afraid lest the civilized World should, only
be tcdking, whilewhat is happening he"re in Latvia today may happen to
the rest öf the World tomorrow, the rule of criminals ovei: ali that is sacred
and dear to us; DIEVS. TAVA ZEME DEG - GOD, THY EARTH IS AFLAME."
THE LUTHERAN CHURCH OF LATVIA UNDER SOVIET RUSSIAN OCCUPATIOM
i ! ^ i
d.
c.
; .< Fund despite the. fact that they had made their monthly
contributions to the Fund as had other employees.
cc,_Students,of the former Faculty of Theology were not ädmitteS"
to other faculties of the University of Latvia,
c. Identity documents (passports) issued to pastors and other Church
servants provjded only for limited freedoiii of movement within
the borders of the State.
Restriction of residential rights: pastors and other'Church servants
have only a limited right to choose their residence and they have
to payhigherrentalsthan other citizens.
aa. They are not permitted to occupy a living space which'"cör-responds
to their Office, and the State may seize for itsown
needs primarily premises held by the Church or Church ser-
:• vants.- • • ,
bb. Church servants and pastors must pay a double rental for their
dwellings
Attacks against and insults of the Church and Church servants,
aa. Pastors. and other Church servants are treated in a discri-minatory
manner whencalling on State offices.
bb. The press describes Church servants and pastors as "reac-tionaries",,
"saboteurs", "fascists", et cetera.
f. Particularly in the small and poorcongregations pastors are often
obliged-to do manual work-,-such as-woodcut
handicraft, which exceeds their physical ability. This, hovvever, is the
only way of earning a living.
2. Co n t ro 1 o f P a s t o r s a n d O t h e r C h u r c h S e r-
V a n t s, a n d T h e i r ' H e a r i n g b y t h e P o l i t i c ai
Police (NKVD).
a. Church servants were shadowed and watched by agents of the Secret
\ Police. •.
aa. On the basis of reports compiled by NKVD agents. there was set
up a Special card-index file containing information about the
pastors, their sermons.movements, et cetera.
bb. Correspondence between the pastors and the central Church
administration and betweenindividual pastors was censored,
b. Coercive methods were used in the course of hearings the aim of
which.was to obtain secret information. about the Church and to set
. up a network of spies and agents in the congregations and among
the pastors. ..
aa. The NKVD arrested in Riga three pastors and demanded that
they regularly furnish to -the Police information on decisions
and discussions at Church meetings. Non-compliance. would
, entail imprisonmeiit, they were told.
bb. Several pastors of the Liepä ja deanery were heard on the charge
of espionage because they had issued birthcertificates to persons
- who intended to emigrate to Germany,
cc. In September 1940 Pastor Bilmanis was arrested, Intimidation
and physical compulsion were used by the Police to make him
. furnish information about his.brother, a Latvian diplomat resi-:
ding abroad. After this hearing, PaStor Bilmanis died .of heart-
• • . failure.
dd. A Riga pastor was arrested and insulted. because,. at the, request
of the family of the deceased, he had performed Church rites
at the funeral of a trade-union member. '.
e. The pölice carried out frequent perquisitions and searches in the.
congregational offices and the homes of pastors.
3. Emi g ra t i o n, A r r e s t s, D e p o rt a t i o n . a n d .
M u r d e r o f Pa s to rs a nd Oth e r C h u r ch
-S e T v a-n-t s. ,•• • . •.. ' •. •
a. In order to escape perseeution, 2 deans and 16 pastors emigrated
Tlie repeated actions of the Soviet occupätion äuthorities against
Latvian Lutheran Church show the irreconeilable tnmity^of the
|Communists against. Christianity and imply a direct threät to the
ospel of Christ in the days to come.
The heavy sacrifices and the deep sufferings endured by ä ChfiStiäri
IChurch, however small, not only show the fate of this.Church, but are
Jindicative of the fate of the entire Christianity. Hence, the task of
^averting this ominous fate does not devolve on the- Latvian Lutheran
jChurch alone, but on the. Christian Church of the eritire-World, since
this problem is fateful for ali.
Over the period of the Soviet occupätion
the Latvian nation lost 34.250 of its- mem-r
bers, i. e. 2 % pf the total number of the
inhabitants, which, for examole, for Eng­land
(without Dominioiis) would mean a
loss of 571.670, or for the U.S.A. a löss o£
/ 1.637.706 people.
b.
c.
d.
Agriculturist Dzerve and lawyer Rusis, members of. the Supreme
Church'Board,were arrested in August 1940.
Two Lutheran pastors were arrested and deported toRussia.
aa. Pastors-Fr. Smilga was arrested in Riga, at his place of em-
. ployment (a mechanical workshop) in March 1941..After intern-ment
in the Riga Central Prison, he was deported to Russia.
bb. Pastor A. Krauklis of Krimuldawas arrested in May 1941 and
deported to Russia after a certain time.
Two teachers of the Faculty of Theology >-T- Professor Adamovics
and professor Rumba.
(Palsmane
as Weil as five Lutheran pastors
congregation), Gailitis (Lielvarde), Ilens
' D J ;
Birzulis
Kangars (Lutrini) and Senbergs (Nica)
(Zvarde),
were arrested land depor-
• Yvii scc licrc tlic. virtt)>ts.of Eastern
violoirc - - Lntnn}is }>iHrdrrcd on the
• filiurr of tfic Lako B<tltc::crs, and in
. tlic Rn/a Central Pnson.Tlie Eastcr'1
hordcfi u'}iich pcnctratcdinto Lntvm
\n ti)',0-—.',l killcd tlic pcaplc . m-dificnnnnatcly,
pcrscrutcd tli3 clcrtjy-
)ncn. dcstropinif farnis and annthtla-tin<
i the fanners, arrcstuu/ and dc-portuuj
ivorkcrs, mtclicetiials, loonicn
and childrcn. The nu))>l)cr of victims
xcas as hiijfi as 35,3',0 tn tlicse fateful
dai/s alone. Snch placvs of sHffcnn<j
are foundthrouohout Latvia.
The niarti/rs accuse »6v they rc-proach
us of havuuj failcd to turn
into deeds ali the nice icords, they
speak to the livmii from their tombs.-
.ivhat justics and peace iviU ive (Jive
them f . :
e.
ted to Russia on June 14th and 15th, 1941.
Three Lutheran pastors were killed. —
aa;. Pastor J. Ozolins, of Riga, was death-sentenced in April 1941.
bb. Dean A. Jaunzems, of Ventspils, and Pastor J. Lapins of Sece,
were killed during the Russian retreat from Latvia in June
1941.