Speech #530132380

Mr. Speaker. today marks the 14th anniversary of the Leningrad trialsthe date when 11 Soviet citizens were arrested when frustrated in their attempts to emigrate legally from the Soviet Union. they attempted to seize an airplane to dramatize their plight and the plight of so many of their fellows. In connection with the anniversary of those arrests and the subsequent trials. we today join in the Annual Congressional Fast and Prayer Vigil for Soviet Jewry. By doing so we call attention to the plight of thousands of Soviet Jews and to the thousands of other Soviet citizens who seek to avail themselves of the rights the Government of the Soviet Union committed itself to in the 1947 Universal Declaration on Human Rights. the 1966 International Convention on Civil and Political Rights and the 1975 Helsinki agreement. The refusal of the Soviet Union to adhere to these obligations continues to contribute to the sad state of relations between our two nations. As recently as 4 years ago. in 1979. some 51.320 Jews were allowed to emigrate from the Soviet Union. Since that time. the number has steadily declined until today it is hardly even a trickle. In January of this year only 88 were granted exit visas. in February 90. in March 51 and in April 74. This is bad enough. Mr. Speaker. But concurrent with the refusal to adhere to agreements to provide exit visas to assist the reunification of families. the Soviet Government has instituted blatant policies of repressive antiSemitism and harassment directed toward those of its citizens who seek to maintain their faith and their cultural identity. This harassment. which includes arrest and imprisonment as well as the loss of jobs and the denial of medical treatment. is not directed at people who threaten to overthrow the Soviet system. but against people whose only "crime" is to wish to join families in other countries or who wish to teach their children and themselves the rich heritage of their past. The unfortunate state of the relationship now existing between this country and the U.S.S.R. effectively precludes the possibility of bilateral negotiations that would ameliorate the situation of Soviet Jews.