Mr. Speaker. next Saturday commemorates the third anniversary of the arrest of Anatoly Shcharanskythe mathematician and computer programmer who has come to symbolize the :struggle for human rights in the Soviet Union. Shcharansky was arrested 3 years ago after years of harassment by the police and when his efforts on behalf of other Soviet Jews desiring to emigrate began to attract world attention. Since his arrest. he has been sentenced to 13 years in a prison and labor camp. his health has seriously deteriorated and prison authorities have recently denied Shcharanskys mother permission to visit her son. This is P. distressing story and unfortunately. one of many similar but unnoticed stories in the Soviet Union. One of these stories is of Solomon Alber. who. with his family. has also requested. and been denied. permission to emigrate to Israel. Mr. Speaker. today. as part of the Spirit of Helsinki Vigil. 1980. I want to bring to the attention of my colleagues the plight of Solomon Alber and his family. Like Anatoly Shcharansky. they too symbolize the struggle for human rights in the Soviet Union. This is the third year that I have spoken on behalf of Solomon Alber and his courageous family. each year my hope unrealized that they will be granted exit visas. But each year. the story remains the same. a story of harassment and continued violations of the Albers right to freely emigrate. Mr. Alber. a mathematician and physicist. was director of a computer research laboratory when he applied for emigration visas for himself and his familyhis wife. Evangelina. and his sons. Mark and Ilya.
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emigrate emigration visas