I am pleased to participate with my colleagues in this special order on behalf of the plight of Soviet Jews. Today we are recognizing the more than 400.000 Jews who seek their moral and legal right to leave the Soviet Union in search of religious freedom and thc ability to study their culture and hitory. We have witnessed a drama lc and tragic 95 percent drop in exlU visas in the last few years. and the trend appears to be continuing. There are thousands of Soviet Jewish citizens who have been Imprisoned for seeking their legal right to emigrate or for practicing their Jewish religion. Not only are those who desire to emigrate denied the opportunity. but many are prevented from even applying for emigration. Day in and day out the Government of the Soviet Union denies the rights of Jews and others to practice their faith. and subJects them to physical and psychological harassment. beatings. imprisonment. confinement in mental institutions. and the separation of family members. We must not ignore the blatant abuse of human rights and freedoms perpetrated by the Soviet Government against its innocent citizens.
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emigrate emigration visas