Mr. Speaker. I wish to join with many of my colleagues in calling attention to the plight of the Soviet scientist Viktor Brailovsky and urging that he and his family be permitted to emigrate to Israel. The story of the harassment of Viktor Brailovsky and his family by Soviet authorities began in 1973. when he and his wife Irina were refused permission to emigrate from Russia. The latest development in this story was his arrest on November 13. 1980. Ironically. this arrest was 2 days after the opening of the Madrid Conference on the Helsinki accords. at which the United States has repeatedly called upon the Soviet Union to protect the human rights of its citizens. including the right to emigrate as guaranteed under the Helsinki agreement. For the Brailovskys. the years since 1973 have been a record of repeated arrests for expressing their support of liberalized emigration policies. confiscation of scientific papers as well as materials relating to Jewish culture and religion. inability to receive permission to teach. and arbitrary and repeated denials of their right to emigrate. And it is particularly distressing to realize that although the case of Viktor Brailovsky has received considerable publicity. the Brailovsky family is just one of many Soviet refusenik families that must endure injustice of this type. The Brailovskys are being forced to suffer as an example to others in the Soviet Unionespecially Jewswho wish to exercise basic human rights.
Keywords matched
emigrate emigration