Mr. President. I was pleased to learn on Wednesday that Iosef Mendelevich. the last Soviet Jewish prisoner of conscience remaining in jail after being convicted during the Leningrad trials of 1970. was released from prison and allowed to emigrate to Israel by the Soviet Union. For Iosef Mendelevich. the last 10 years have been harrowing. He has served his term doing hard labor. He has suffered serious illness and encountered squalid living conditions. Because of his religious beliefs. he has subsisted on a diet of less than 1.200 calories each day. and he often fasted on the Sabbath. In fact. because of his desire to observe strict orthodox religious .practices. his original 12year prison term was increased by 3 years.
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