The colonel was wounded and subsequently received 15 medals of honor. A citizen such as Colonel Ovsischer deserves respect. Yet. he has been stripped of his decorations. deprived of his military pension and is ridiculed by the Government which he served. The reason for this treatment is that Col. Lev Ovsischer has committed the crime of applying for his freedom. Under Soviet law. emigration is illegal. Colonel Ovsischer applied for his and his wifes visas in 1971. In the past 14 years. he has been arrested. put on trial. harassed. threatened. and denied year after year. Denial is based upon the claim that the colonel possessed military secrets.
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emigration visas