Mr. Speaker. the recent trial of Yosif Begun. a prominent Jewish activist seeking to emigrate to Israel. provides another glaring example of the Soviet Unions blatant disregard for the human rights of its citizens. Unfortunately. this appears to be part of a crackdown aimed at breaking the spirit of Soviet Jews who seek to fulfill their right to emigrate. At his recent trial. Begun was sentenced to 7 years of hard labor and 5 years in exile for his activities as a Soviet Jewry activist. By applying harsh sentences against the activists in the movement. the Soviets hope to set an example for other refuseniks and potential emigres. Mr. Speaker. we cannot allow Soviet Jews to languish in the Soviet Union as their Government continually violates the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the Helsinki accord. which acknowledge the right of all individuals to emigrate. Today. there has been a vigil at the Soviet Embassy in protest of the outrageous sentence given to Yosif Begun. This is precisely the kind of activity which must be continued and intensified. it must be demonstrated directly to the Soviets that their repulsive human rights policies are rejected by the American people.
Keywords matched
emigrate