Mr. Speaker. Viktor Brailovsky is a Soviet Jew who. like so many thousands of other Jews in the Soviet Union. has committed no crime other than to have asked permission to emigrate from the Soviet Union and join his brother in Israel. Viktor. Irina. his wife. and his two children have been seeking permission to emigrate since 1972. However. their requests have been refused on the grounds that Irina Brailovsky. a computer expert. had access to state secrets. Viktor Brailovsky and his family have been subjected to repeated government harassment ever since their first emigration request was denied. The Brailovskys have lost their jobs. and Viktor has repeatedly been subject to arrest. In November. Viktor Brailovsky was once again arrested. and charged with slandering the Soviet state. His slander consisted of signing an appeal to President Leonid Brezhnev for an exit visa. in accordance with the Helsinki agreement which was being reviewed at the Madrid Conference. If convicted. he could be sentenced to up to 3 years in a Soviet labor camp. even though his health is already poor. I urge the leaders of the Soviet Union to release Viktor Brailovsky. so that he may obtain proper medical treatment for his serious liver ailment. I also remind them of the Soviet Unions delegation to live up to its half of the Helsinki agreement. and permit the Viktor Brailovsky family. and all others who wish to do so. to emigrate to Israel.*
Keywords matched
emigrate emigration visa