Mr. Speaker. these are indeed hard times for Soviet Jews. The emigration statistics just released for the month of February are the lowest in 10 yearsonly 283 Jews were permitted to leave the Soviet Union. And there is no indication that this disturbing trend will be reversed in the foreseeable future. Perhaps the most important characteristic of a civilized nation is its respect for the basic rights of its citizensincluding the right to religious expression and the right to emigrate to join ones family. These principles are firmly established by the Helsinki accords. which the Soviet Union has signed. It is important that we in Congress draw attention to the blatant hypocrisy of the Soviet Union. evidences by its denial of even the most basic rights to Soviet Jews.
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emigrate emigration