I appreciate this opportunity to speak on the House floor and take part in this World Day of Protest on behalf of Ida Nudel. Once again we pose a public challenge to the Soviet Union to fulfill the commitment they made with respect to human rights in the Helsinki accords. Ida Nudels steadfast resistence to official Soviet policies against religious freedom and emigration is an example of tremendous courage. With full knowledge of the fate which awaited her. Ida began a struggle against Soviet efforts to prevent Jewish emigration. She has persevered through several years of official harassment. including malicious news accounts charging her with criminal activity. arrest and trial with no opportunity to make a defense. and finally a 4year sentence to internal exile in Siberia. Ida Nudels crime was the usual Soviet charge of malicious hooliganism. in other words. she sought the right to leave the Soviet Union and supported others in search of freedom. We have the chance today to bring out the truth about the activities of the KGB and the Soviet Government. The experiences of Ida Nudel since her original request for a visa would make people in our Nation cringe in disbelief. She has been repeatedly detained and subjected to brutal interrogations. Her home has been searched and ransacked on several occasions.
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emigration visa