Speech #990031599

The group-"The Committee of 21"-pairs 21 Soviet prisoners of conscience with the same number of congressional wives. The 21 Soviet Prisoners of Conscience are leaders of the Soviet Refuseniks. Soviet citizens who have been denied the right to emigrate from the Soviet Union. The 21 leaders have been imprisoned by Soviet authorities on charges ranging from "hooliganism" to "antiSoviet agitation." but the arrests and imprisonment of these individuals is primarily because of their leadership of the Refusenik movement and it is a clear violation of the Helsinki Final Act. During a trip to the Soviet Union earlier this year. my wife. Annette. was asked by the Refuseniks in Moscow to form a group of congressional wives to monitor the cases of the political prisoners. They were afraid that. with a change in leadership and the possibility that the Soviet Government could again grant a larger number of exit permits. the political prisonersthe Shcharanskys. the Beguns. the Bernsteinswould be forgotten while others were allowed to emigrate. This would be a tragic circumstance. for those political prisoners have suffered the most for the goals of all Refuseniks. Today at a press conference formally announcing the formation of the Committee of 21. an open letter "to all women of the West" from wives. mothers. fiancees. daughters. and sisters of refuseniks was made public. They told how they "are deprived of the right for happiness. normal life. tranquility and confidence in our childrens and our own future." They described how "during the last months of pregnancy. searches are held of our apartments. At these searches the authorities confiscate belongings. * 0 * It isnt accidental that nearly every womanrefusenik who dares to give birth to a child in such conditions usually suffers from the menace of miscarriage." Avital Shcharanskythe wife of Anatoly Shcharansky. who is one of the Prisoners of Conscience adopted by the committeeparticipated in the press conference. She has been separated from her husband now for years. but her commitment and conviction are an inspiration to those who work to see Refuseniks allowed to emigrate. The Committee of 21 will coordinate efforts with other human rights groups to insure that the West does not forget the courageous men and women who languish in Soviet prisons. Every member of the committee has made the commitment to write to her adopted prisoner of conscience every 6 weeks. as well as writing to Soviet officials.