The present Government of Ethiopia. established through force of Cuban arms persists in pursuing a relentless program of persecution. in flagrant violation of the U.N. Declaration of Human Rights. Above all Ethiopian Jews wish to emigrate to Israel. a nation which welcomes them as returning brothers and sisters. Yet the right to emigratea basic tenet of the U.N. Declaration of Human Rightsis not recognized by the Government of Ethiopia. In its February 1983 Country Report on Human Rights Practices. the U.S. State Department reports that. in November 1981. the Ethiopian Government issued a proclamation stating: That illegally leaving the country was a treasonable offense punishable by five to twentyfive years rigorous imprisonment. or in grave circumstances. death. The report goes on to state thatTorture in Ethiopia is not prohibited by law and that prisoners and detainees in Ethiopia are sometimes subjected to cruel. inhuman. or degrading treatment. This is what is in store for a Jew who wishes to emigrate from Ethiopia. The continued persecution of Ethiopian Jews is especially disappointing given Ethiopias proud history and its long record of leadership in the international community. Ethiopia is the oldest existing black African nation tracing its history continuously back more than 2.000 years.
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emigrate emigratea