This resolution expresses the sense of the Congress that the President should call upon the Soviet Government to abide by its own constitution and permit the free expression of ideas and the exercise of religion by all its citizens. Also. efforts are called for to bring about an end to discrimination against religious minorities. Furthermore. the President is urged to request of the Soviet Government that it permit its citizens to emigrate to the countries of their choice in accordance with the United Nations Declaration of Human rights and to raise in the General Assembly of the United Nations the issue of the Soviet Unions violation of the declaration. We have long been aware of the disregard of the Soviet Government for the rights of its citizens. There is. of course. little we can do to effectively direct Soviet policy. However. we have learned that Soviet leaders are not entirely insensitive to public opinion. Late last year for example. there was some relaxation of restrictions on the emigration of Soviet Jews as a result of the pressure of world opinion. The President now has a unique opportunity during his planned trip to the Soviet Union to bring pressure to bear on Soviet authorities to clarify policy with respect to ethnic and religious minorities within the U.S.S.R. and to encourage conformance with the U.N. Declaration on Human Rights.
Keywords matched
emigrate emigration