Speech #990059614

As many of my colleagues have previously noted. the plight of Jews in the Soviet Union is particularly galling. The Andropov and Chernenko years in the Soviet Union were characterized by a significant increase in stateencouraged. antiSemitic activities. Some in the West recently expressed optimism that the rise of Mikhail Gorbachev would result in an increase in Jewish immigration from the Soviet Union and a decrease in antiSemitic incidents. Unfortunately. such optimism was unfounded. The Jewish emigration statistics for the past several months do not offer a great deal of hope to those of us who support the right to emigrate freely. In April. 166 Soviet citizens of Jewish extraction were allowed to leave their country. In May. only 51 were allowed to leave the Soviet Union. As of June 20. only 14 have been permitted to emigrate during the current month. While this trend is discouraging. we should not forget those whose rights are being denied. Our diplomats should remind the officials of the Soviet Union. at cvery opportunity. of this Nations commitment to human rights in the Soviet Union and of our concern about the violations occurring every day throughout the Soviet Union. The treatment of Lazar RulyovKagan speaks volumes about the Soviet Unions respect for law and individual rights. He is the son of the noted pianist and composer Simon Kagan. who was also a member of the Union of Soviet Composers. When his parents emigrated to Israel. Lazar remained in the Soviet Union to finish his education as an electronics engineer. His father indicates that Lazar intended to emigrate to Israel with his wife. Svetlana. once he had finished his schooling. He had made his first visa application in 1976. Following the departure of his parents. Lazar was subjected to harassment by Soviet authorities. In January 1983. he was arrested. All of his property was confiscated immediately after his arrest for alleged black marketeering. although it is clear that his constant efforts to obtain an exit visa to emigrate to Israel had angered Soviet bureaucrats. During the investigation and prior to his trial. he was tortured and put into cells which he shared with common criminals and vicious antiSemites. His trial took place on October 22 and 23 at which the only witness was a notorious smuggler named Maidankin.