Soviet authorities punish independent thought by providing inadequate food. clothing. and shelter. requiring heavy manual labor. providing unsatisfactory medical care. enforcing isolation. conducting extended interrogations. and threatening the families of dissidents. It is government policy to imprison political and religious activists in psychiatric hospitals or labor camps. According to the State Departments recent report on human rights abuses "the mere attempt to submit an emigration application frequently involves a variety of administrative and extralegal sanctions. including loss of employment. harassment. social ostracism." In 1983 only 1.315 Soviet Jews were allowed to emigrate. compared to 2.688 in 1982 and 51.320 in 1979. It is estimated there are currently 200.000 Jews seeking to leave the Soviet Union. Many are subject to torture and imprisonment.
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emigrate emigration