Found guilty of parasitism because he or she is without a job. the sentence is 8 years of hard labor in the stark. sterile coldness of Siberia where the only warmth will come from memories. It is a bitter experience. And the bitterness is heightened by the loneliness. the desolation. and complete abandonment for years on end. But despite these consequences. men and women continue to apply for exit visas. driven by their faith. their conviction. and their courage. It is critical that each of us in our own way let these people know that we care and that we have not abandoned and will never abandon their cause. We must continuously denounce the forced surrender of basic human rights to the arbitrary will of a repressive government.