This is a systematic pattern of repression against tens of thousands of individuals who seek only to build a new life for themselves in Israel and who are depending upon our support in their struggle for freedom. The Soviet Union claims that many of those denied permission to leave are individuals involved in matters of state security. This is merely a pretext to deny emigration to hundreds of scientists and prominent personalities in the arts who have had no contact with classified information. or in a few cases dealt with secret material 15 to 25 years ago. These people are kept as virtual hostages as an example to deter others from applying for exit visas. The announcement that the notorious exit tax is no longer being enforced is no evidence of a Soviet change of heart. History has shown us that the Soviet Union enforces and then ignores its own exit tax statutes whenever It hopes to win a particular favor from the West.
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emigration visas