SEOUL, South Korea—Mu January 2017, a Lee Gyo-won omwe pa nthawiyo anali ndi zaka 21 anaimirira pamaso pa woweruza wina atakonzekera bwino mfundo zoti anene ndipo anali ndi chikhulupiriro chonse kuti awavomereza kuti asalowe nawo usilikali. A Lee ankafuna kufotokozera woweruzayo kuti akukana kulowa usilikali chifukwa choti amakhulupirira kuti munthu sayenera kuchita zachiwawa, osati chifukwa choti samafuna kumvera lamulo la dzikolo.

A Lee omwe ndi a Mboni za Yehova ankakayikira kuti woweruzayu agamula nkhaniyi mowakomera. Tikutero chifukwa pa nthawi yomwe mlandu wawo unkayamba kuzengedwa, n’kuti a Mboni enanso 392 ali m’ndende chifukwa chokana kulowa usilikali ndipo anali atakhala m’ndende kwa zaka 588 tikaziphatikiza. Kuyambira mu 1950, a Mboni za Yehova oposa 19,340 akhala akuikidwa m’ndende chifukwa boma la Korea limaona kuti sizomveka kuti munthu akane kulowa usilikali chifukwa cha zimene amakhulupirira. Ndipo tikaphatikiza zaka zonse zomwe anthuwa akhala m’ndende zikukwana 36,800.

Komabe mu 2004, oweruza amene ankaona kuti n’kulakwa kuika m’ndende anthu okana kulowa usilikali chifukwa cha chikhulupiriro chawo anagamula kuti anthu 90 ndi osalakwa. Woweruza wina wamkulu wa Khoti la Apilo la Busan, dzina lake Choi Jong-du, anapeza kuti a Mboni amakana kugwira ntchito ya usilikali “chifukwa malinga ndi zimene amakhulupirira, ‘chikumbumtima’ chawo sichimawalola kuchita zimenezi.”

Mu June 2018, Khoti Loona za Malamulo M’dziko la South Korea linagamula kuti Malamulo a Ntchito ya Usilikali alembedwenso, n’cholinga choti anthu okana kulowa usilikali chifukwa cha zimene amakhulupirira azipatsidwa ntchito zina m’malo mwa usilikali. * Koma chigamulo chofunika kwambiri chimenechi chinapangidwa mochedwa a Lee atamangidwa kale. A Lee anati: “Ngakhale kuti ndinayesetsa kuchita zonse zomwe ndikanatha kuti ndipange apilo za mlandu wanga, panopa ndili m’ndende ya Daegu Detention Center.” Iwo akugwira ukaidi wa miyezi 18.

A Lee ndi mmodzi mwa a Mboni omwe anaikidwa m’ndende chifukwa chokana kulowa usilikali, ndipo a Mboni anayamba kumangidwa pa nthawi imene dziko la Japan linkalamulira dziko la Korea. Achinyamata a Mboni awiri ataikidwa m’ndende ku Japan mu 1939 chifukwa chokana kulowa usilikali, akuluakulu a boma la Japan anamanganso a Mboni ena ku Japan, Taiwan, ndi ku Korea (pa nthawiyo kunkatchedwa kuti Chosun). A Mboni 38 omwe anali m’ndende ku Korea anakana kupereka ulemu wapadera kwa amene ankalamulira dziko la Japan komanso kuchita chilichonse chokhudza kumenya nkhondo. Ndipo a Mboni 5 anamwalira m’ndendemo chifukwa cha nkhanza zoopsa zomwe ankawachitira, koma ambiri anatulutsidwa dziko la Japan litagonjetsedwa mu 1945.

A Mboni akhala akukana kulowa ntchito ya usilikali kwa za zoposa 100. Chifukwa chotsatira zimene Baibulo limanena komanso chitsanzo cha Akhristu oyambirira, a Mboni amakhulupirira kuti Akhristu sayenera kupita kunkhondo chifukwa alibe ufulu wopha munthu. Kuwonjezera pamenepo, a Mboni sachita nawo ndale chifukwa chakuti iwo ali kumbali ya Ufumu wa Mulungu.

Pa nthawi ya nkhondo yoyamba yapadziko lonse, m’pamene a Mboni (omwe ankatchedwa kuti Ophunzira Baibulo a Padziko Lonse) anayamba kuzunzidwa chifukwa chokana kumenya nawo nkhondo. Ku Britain, a Mboni 400 anakana kumvera lamulo la boma loti alowe ntchito yausilikali. Pa nthawi ya nkhondo yachiwiri yapadziko lonse, a Mboni za Yehova ndi amene anali ochuluka pa anthu amene anamangidwa chifukwa chokana kulowa usilikali ku United States ndipo analipo pafupifupi 4,440.

Pali zitsanzo zambiri zosonyeza kuti a Mboni anali atatsimikiza mtima kuti satenga nawo mbali pa nkhani zandale. Chitsanzo chachikulu kwambiri cha zimenezi ndi pamene a Mboni anapirira pa nthawi imene ankazunzidwa kwambiri mu ulamuliro wa chipani cha Nazi. A chipani cha Nazi anapha a Mboni pafupifupi 400 ndipo ambiri mwa iwo anaphedwa atakana kulowa usilikali chifukwa cha zimene amakhulupirira. A Mboni enanso oposa 1,000 anafa chifukwa cha nkhanza komanso mavuto omwe ankakumana nawo ataikidwa m’ndende chifukwa cha zimene amakhulupirira. Malinga ndi zimene wolemba mbiri wina dzina lake Robert Gerwarth ananena, a Mboni “anali gulu lokha la anthu omwe anazunzidwa chifukwa cha zimene amakhulupirira mu ulamuliro wa Nazi.”

Komabe, a Mboni a ku Korea ndi amene akhala akuzunzidwa kwa nthawi yayitali kwambiri chifukwa chokana usilikali kuposa a Mboni a m’mayiko ena. Pamene a Lee Gyo-won anali ndi zaka 8, bambo awo anamwalira pangozi ndipo mayi awo ndi amene anawaphunzitsa Baibulo komanso ubwino wochita zinthu mogwirizana ndi chikumbumtima chawo. A Lee anati: “Nditamvetsa chifukwa chimene anthufe tinalengedwera, zinandichititsa kuyamba kukonda Mulungu wanga, Yehova. Kungoyambira nthawi imeneyo, ndinatsimikiza mtima kuti cholinga changa chachikulu pamoyo chikhale kutumikira Yehova.”

Atazindikira kuti akhoza kuikidwa m’ndende, a Lee anasankha ntchito yokhudza zomangamanga. Iwo anakonza zoti akadzatulutsidwa m’ndende azidzagwira ntchito paokha chifukwa mbiri yoti anamangidwapo ikanachititsa kuti anthu ena asafune kuwalemba ntchito.

A Lee anafotokoza mmene ankamvera pa tsiku la mlandu wawo ndipo anati: “Ndinkafunitsitsa kuwasonyeza kuti siine wolakwa chifukwa zimene ndinasankhazo zinali zogwirizana ndi zimene ndimakhulupirira komanso chikumbumtima changa.” Iwo anaganizira za zitsanzo za Sitefano ndi Paulo omwe anafotokoza za chikhulupiriro chawo molimba mtima pamene ankaimbidwa mlandu. A Lee ananenanso kuti: “Ndikuganiza kuti ndinayankhula bwino kwambiri pamene ndinali m’khoti kuposa pamene ndinkayeserera zoti ndikanene.”

Pa 30 August, 2018, Khoti Lalikulu Kwambiri ku Korea lidzamva maganizo a anthu pa zimene Khoti Loona za Malamulo linagamula pa mlandu wa anthu okana kulowa usilikali chifukwa cha zimene amakhulupirira. Chigamulo chomwe khotili lidzapange chidzakhudza kwambiri zigamulo za milandu inanso 900 yomwe panopa ikuyembekezera kuzengedwa m’makhoti osiyanasiyana. Kuwonjezera pamenepo, a Mboni 117 omwe anakana kulowa usilikali kuphatikizaponso a Lee, akadali m’ndende ndipo akuyembekezera zomwe atauzidwe pa pempho lomwe anatumiza kwa pulezidenti wa dziko la South Korea kuti awakhululukire. Ngakhale kuti a Lee akhoza kukhalabe m’ndende ya Daegu Detention Center, iwo akuyembekezera mwachidwi kumva chigamulo chomwe khotili lidzapange pa 30 August.

Ngakhale kuti a Lee anaikidwa m’ndende ndiponso apilo yawo inakanidwa, iwo ali ndi chikhulupiriro choti tsiku lina zinthu zidzawayendera bwino Akhristu anzawo amenenso ali m’ndende. Ndipo anati: “Ndikukhulupirira kuti ndikhala m’gulu la anthu omaliza kuikidwa m’ndende, mmene ndinaikidwa chifukwa chokonda anthu komanso makamaka chifukwa chokonda Mulungu ndi mfundo zake.”

Lankhulani ndi:

International: Paul S. Gillies, Ofesi Yoona Zofalitsa Nkhani, +1-845-524-3000

South Korea: Hong Dae-il, +82-31-690-0055