At 4:00 AM on July 24, 1948, secret police came for Haralan Popov. Before the Communist takeover of Bulgaria, he had pastored the largest Protestant church in the nation and was his country's foremost evangelist. Now he was wanted for "just a few minutes questioning."
Those few minutes became thirteen years.
Thirteen Years in Communist Prison
In the capital city of Sofia, he was arrested on charges of espionage. After eight months of interrogation and torture, Popov was forced into a cruel confession and sentenced to 15 years in prison. He was shifted from prison to prison—sixteen in all. The conditions were terrible: cold, overcrowding, starvation, senseless killings, treachery, and dangerous work.
Ministry Through Persecution and Torture
On the island of Belene, in the infamous Communist concentration camp, Popov continued to minister. Despite the suffering he endured, he evangelized his fellow inmates. His prominence as a devoted Christian leader brought severe torture at the hands of the Soviet KGB and their Bulgarian quislings.
Popov survived by clinging to his faith. "I learned that God's grace is truly sufficient," he later wrote. "In the darkest moments, when my body was broken and my spirit tested to its limits, I found that Christ was closer than ever before."
Freedom and Continued Gospel Work
After 13 years and two months, Popov was released on September 25, 1961. He joined his family in Sweden a year later and began broadcasting the gospel behind the Iron Curtain through Trans World Radio—becoming the first person to broadcast the gospel message in the Bulgarian language.
In 1972, after moving to the United States, Popov founded Door of Hope International to bring Bibles and relief to people in oppressive countries. His autobiography, "Tortured For His Faith," became a testimony to millions.
In 1988, after 26 years of separation, Popov finally returned to visit his beloved Bulgaria. A few weeks later, on November 13, 1988, at age 81, Haralan Popov went home to his heavenly Father—having spent more than 50 years in ministry.
