On November 11. 1980. the opening day of the Madrid Conference. Mr. Brailovsky. along with 237 other refuseniks. signed an appeal to President Leonid Brezhnev requesting exit visas. It is interesting to note that he was arrested on November 13. Since the time of his arrest. Viktors health has deteriorated drastically and. if officially charged. he could remain in labor camp for 3 years. The arrest of Viktor Brailovsky shows the world that the Soviet Government is trying desperately to dismantle the entire Soviet Jewish culture movement. Moreover. according to the National Conference on Soviet Jewry. the Soviet Jewish emigration rate declined sharply in 1980. by as much as 90 percent in some areas of the U.S.S.R. This further emphasizes the Soviet Unions complete disregard for basic human rights. As a signatory of the United Nations Universal Declaration on Human Rights and as a party to the Helsinki Final Act. the Soviet Union had indicated its commitment to internationally recognized human rights.
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emigration visas