On January 6,1987, Vilnius resident Vladas Lapienis was released from labor camp in Mordovia. He refused to sign any promise to be loyal to the Soviet government in the future. The chekists were satisfied with a written request from Lapienis' wife to release him on account of bad health and on account of the care for the elderly which her husband requires.
Docent Vytautas Skuodis, having completed his sentence of seven years strict regime, was taken to exile in Magadan. After being kept for a whole month in Chelyabinsk prison in solitary confinement, on February 5 Skuodis was released. The KGB repeatedly demanded a promise from Skuodis in writing that he would not break Soviet law in the future. Skuodis, arguing that he had never broken Soviet law, but that on the contrary, those who terrorized and tried him had not abided by either the Constitution or with international agreements which the U.S.S.R. had signed, refused to comply with the officials' demands. "Making such a promise in writing would in itself be an acknowledgement that in the past, I did not keep the law, and that's not true," said Skuodis. Finally, Skuodis agreed to sign the following text drafted by the KGB themselves: "I request that you let me go to the U.S.A. I will not break the law."
In January, 1987, Antanas Terleckas returned from exile in the region of Magadan to Lithuania. Before leaving, Terleckas wrote to officials, "I will return an old man; I am not dangerous anyway on account of my health."
At the end of January, 1987, Kaunas resident Liudas Dambraus-kas was released from the Mordovia prison hospital.
The faithful of Lithuania congratulate and thank Vladas Lapienis, Vytautas Skuodas, Liudas Dambrauskas, Antanas Terleckas and Algirdas Patackas (released from KGB detention in Vilnius) for the sufferings which they had to undergo in interrogations in Soviet prisons and in labor camps, for the entire road of labor and sacrifice which they travelled which have been placed on the altar of the country and the Church.
P.S. According to available information, since February 11,1987, the priest-prisoners Alfonsas Svarinskas and Sigitas Tamkevičius have been brought from the Perm Camp and are being kept in the isolation prison of the Vilnius KGB. A request in writing to be allowed to emigrate is being demanded of them. The essential condition for release which the KGB is proposing to the priest-prisoners is a "promise" not to break Soviet laws in the future, that is, to be loyal to the Soviet government.
