He is. however. bearing the burden of another type of harassmentneither he nor his wife. who is an historical book specialist. have been able to find regular employment. Mr. Baras was born in 1947 and first applied to emigrate in 1973. His request for himself. his wife. children. and his mother. was turned down because it "was not in the interest of the state." There appears to be no evidence supporting the supposition that Mr. Baras or his wife would leave the Soviet Union with any classified or specialized information. For every Ginsburg or Shcharansky. there are hundreds of Barases who rarely come before the public eye. As a member of the Helsinki Commission I have come to understand the importance of activities such as "Shatter the Silence." and the need to work. case by case. for the release of those who wish nothing more than to pursue religious and intellectual freedom. Our efforts may not be meeting with overwhelming success in terms of the number of Soviets and Eastern Europeans who are being allowed to emigrate. but we are offering invaluable support and visibility to the plight of thousands of people. Mr. Baras sums up far better than I can myself why we must continue to raise the plight of these people on the floor of the House. in the press and in every meeting any of us have with Soviet officials and people.
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emigrate