Inadequate medical treatment. arbitrary deprivation of the limited rights to correspondence and family visits are among the violations of fundamental human rights committed this past year. The Soviet record on the treatment specifically of Soviet Jews has been the subject of intense concern by many knowledgeable people in this country. The most recent figures indicate that 51.500 Jews were allowed to emigrate in 1979more than in any other year in the recent past. Yet the number of people who have applied for exit visas has also increased dramatically so that the refusal rate remains high. In addition. some visas have been reclaimed after the recipients waited long months and suffered many inconveniences to obtain them. In the first 11 days of this month. 900 Jews were allowed to leave for Vienna. 70 percent less than the same period in December. While this may be too small a statistical sample to definitively identify a new trend. serious attention must continue to be focused on the emigration issue. An equally serious issue which directly affects the Jewish community in the Soviet Union is the problem of access to education. As recently as 3 years ago.
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emigrate emigration visas