During April 12-14, 1978, a decent Lithuanian and Catholic, Balys Gajauskas, was sentenced in Vilnius to ten years in strict regime labor camps and five years in exile; he was convicted without any foundation, merely for collecting material for the archives on post-war battles against the occupant; he was in fact sentenced for life, because he had already served 25 years in Soviet labor camps; he was convicted because he loved his Motherland . . .
Tens, maybe hundreds, of thousands of this nation's sons and daughters have already sacrificed their lives or freedom on the altar of the Motherland's freedom. This victim is also not the last and, most likely, only one of a series. The trial of Viktoras Petkus will soon be held in Vilnius! Today, the world knows of every new victim but, before, thousands died in the unequal battle in the forest or were deported in cattle cars to Siberia and no one in the world knew of their sacrifice. Only the enslaved nation remembered them in her songs...
On the occasion of this shameful treatment, we wish to state to our enslavers as well as to the free world that prisons and labor camps will not force the Lithuanian nation, which loves freedom more than life, to capitulate. On the contrary, these sacrifices by our countrymen evoke an even greater determination to fight until Lithuania is free and independent. But, we cannot understand this world's powers, which allow small African nations to achieve self-determination, but us Lithuanians, who have a long and illustrious history, to be enslaved. Why is there such a terrible national discrimination? Why are the Red Brigades permitted to prevail for such a length of time?
We sincerely thank Mr. and Mrs. Liubarskis for engaging a defense lawyer for Balys Gajauskas and Belgian lawyer Van Der Bosh, who was prepared to defend the accused; we thank the great Belgian press which publicized Lithuania's difficult plight as well as all people of good will, who voiced their concern for both the prisoner and Lithuania. May God reward you all. We can only pray for you and we do pray.
We ask all the friends of Balys Gajauskas and Mr. Van Der Bosh, not to spare any efforts in the future to see to it that this case is not forgotten, but constantly and continually to remind the world by all possible means until Balys Gajauskas is freed or is allowed to leave for the West. The more publicity, the greater the possibility that others will remain free.
Bring Lithuania's case before world public opinions!
Suffering and Struggling Lithuania.
