Speech #960325600

Speaker. my colleagues will recall the news reoorts indicating that on October 7. 18 Lithuanian Americans will be tried for peacefully demonstrating outside the Soviet Embassy in Washington. after protesting the recent Soviet invasion of Afghanistan. the occupation of the Soviet Union of their native Lithuania since 1940. and the Soviet Unions disregard for basic human rights. Exactly 9 days after this demonstration took place. 192 Iranian. proKhomeini demonstrators were arrested after repeated clashes with District of Columbia police. resulting in injuries to several officers and citizens. It is quite interesting to note that while all criminal charges against the Iranian demonstrators were dropped and a check on the immigration status of the demonstrators halted. the U.S. Department of Justice has prosecuted the LithuanianAmericans to the fullest extent of the law. The conclusion to be drawn from such discriminatory treatment is that United States appears to treat its own citizens more severely than Iranian nationals who have publicly belittled our Nation.