The opposition, however, did not end. Two years later, Slovenian authorities arrested Janez Robas and his wife, Marija, along with fellow Witnesses Jože Marolt and Frančiška Verbec, for preaching. The bill of indictment stated in part: The “‘jehovite sect’ . . . recruited new members whom they instigated against our present social system [and] against military service.” Claiming that the brothers were trying to weaken the defense of the country, the authorities handed down sentences of from three to six years of imprisonment with hard labor.

In 1952 when Ladislav was drafted into military service, he made his stand on Christian neutrality clear. Officials subjected him to numerous interrogations in an attempt to force him to take the oath of enlistment into the army. On one occasion, they took him to the barracks where 12,000 recruits were assembled to take the oath. The soldiers stood Ladislav in front of them all and placed a rifle on his shoulder. He immediately threw it down. Using loudspeakers so that everyone could hear, the soldiers said that if Ladislav did that again, he would be shot. When he refused a second time, they led him away and pushed him into a bomb crater several yards deep. The execution order was given, a soldier shot twice into the crater, and the men returned to the barracks. However, the bullets missed the brother!

That night, officials brought Ladislav out of the bomb crater and took him to prison in Sarajevo. He was presented with a letter stating that others of his faith were making certain compromises while he was rotting in prison with criminals. Repeatedly, the officials pressured him with lengthy discussions along similar lines. Ladislav, however, reasoned: ‘Did I come to serve Jehovah because of a certain individual? No! Am I here to please man? No! Does my life depend on what others may say, think, or do? No!’

This spiritual reasoning helped Ladislav to remain faithful in prison until his release four and a half years later. In time he served as a circuit overseer with the support of his devoted wife and fellow worshipper, Anica.