Speech #970130170

Anatoly Shcharansky is presently serving the 4th year of a 13year sentence he received in 1978 as a result of his activities as a human rights leader in the U.S.S.R. A leading human rights and Soviet Jewish activist. Shcharansky has been called a champion of justice and liberty. The dedication of the Shcharansky Steps just opposite the United Nations serves as a further reminder of the repression of human rights in the Soviet Union and the continuing struggle of Soviet Jewry for the right to emigrate. I am proud that I was able to participate in this memorable and signficant occasion and wanted to share this event with my colleagues. It is hoped that the Shcharansky steps will contribute to leading the oppressed to freedom.*