Speaker. I rise to take this opportunity to voice my strong support for House Concurrent Resolution 100. a resolution expressing the sense of Congress that religius persecution in the soviet Union must. at last. be brought to an end. Despite the promise of free thought. religion. and emigration that has been included in the Soviet constitution. and in several of the U.S.S.R.s international agreements. the Soviet Union has denied members of the Christian Pentecostal faith the right to practice their religion freely. Further. the Soviet authorities have failed to allow citizens to emigrate to countries where they would be allowed religious freedom. Since 1962. 13 members of the Vashchenko family and 11 members of the Chmykhalov family have been denied permission to emigrate from the Soviet Union. In 1978. eight members of these families rushed Soviet guards. requesting refuge in the American Embassy. One was captured. nearly beaten to death. and returned to his village. The others. since 1978. have lived in a room in the basemant of the American Embassy. and. since that time. the United States has maintained pressure on the Soviets to allow these families to emigrate. Until now. the United States has brien unsuccessful in that effort. House Concurrent Resolution 100 expresses our continuing concern about these families. and about the soviet Governments continuing refusal to let them. and others like them. emigrate. and it calls upon our President to voice this concern to the Soviets. and to take all actions necessary to insure that the families may continue to live in the American Embassy. are acorde every possible courtesy. and receive all necessary asistance until they obtain permission to emigrate. The Pentecostals are but one of the many persecuted religious groups in the Soviet Union. Our plea for the Vashchenko and Chmykhalov families does not end there. but includes all of the citizens of th eSoviet Union who desire nothing more than to freely practie their faiths. and to live where and as they may choose.
Keywords matched
emigrate emigration