Mr. Speaker. I wish to update my colleagues on the plight of Gregory Geishis. a young Soviet Jew who is still awaiting an exit visa for emigration to Israel. In October 1978. Mr. Geishis. then an honor student at the Leningrad Institute of Electrical Communications. applied for an exit visa to Israel. Five months later. he was notified that his application had been denied. The reason given for the denial was Gregorys failure to apply with his parents. Shortly thereafter. Gregory was expelled from school and denounced as a traitor. Gregory then reapplied for an exit visa with his family. It. too. was denied. this time because Gregorys mother is a communications engineer. The Soviets claimed that they could not allow a member of so "sensitive" a profession to leave the country. Gregory Geishis applied five more times over the next 13 months for an exit visa. During this period. he and his family were continually harassed by the KGB and the Soviet police. His final rejection came just before the opening of the 1982 Olympic games. A few days later. Gregory Geishis was drafted by the Red army. The U.S.S.R. denies emigration visas to anyone who has had contact with "state secrets." and this would include even perfunctory military service. Gregory declined induction in the sure knowledge that serving in the military would forever preclude his emigration. Soviet authorities summoned him to a police station for a hearing. Upon his arrival at the station.
Keywords matched
emigration visas visa