This young lady was with us. her husband was not able to meet with us very simply because he was in prison. They are young. 34 and 32 years old. In 1980. they asked permission to emigrate. In December 1983. he was held for 15 days. incommunicado. for having asked to leave the country. After protesting in 1984. writing a letterand that in the Soviet system can be a protest. if you dare to communicate to the Soviet Government in some wayhe was put In prison at the Riga Prison under a sentence for "defaming the Soviet State." a charge that carries up to 3 years in a labor camp. and still. and through this time. no reason has been given for why he cannot leave the country. We saw individuals who had families outside of the Soviet Union and wanted to reunify with them. or spouses. as has already been mentioned. an American and Russian couple who cannot reunite. One individual who met. fell in love with. and married an American citizen. she. a Russian citizen. about 6 years ago became pregnant. and about the time her child was to be born. his visa was up and he had to leave the country. As an American citizen he was not allowed to stay. She is still there. and he has yet to have the opportunity to see that child. 6 years have passed since she asked to emigrate to reunite with her husband. Family split and harassment from the government were routine but arbitrary. Differential treatment depending on who knows what. some sort of bizarre system of penalty that rains down from the Soviet system.
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emigrate visa