Speech #990066256

Article 27 of the International Covenant on Civil and Religious Rights state that "In those States in which ethnic. religious or linguistic minorities exist. persons belonging to such minorities shall not be denied the right in community with the other members of their group. to enjoy their own culture. to profess and practice their own religion. or to use their language." The Helsinki Final Act declared that participating nations shall "fulfill their obligations as set forth in the international declarations and agreements" in the field of human rights. and requires that states afford national minorities "the full opportunity for the actual enjoyment of human rights and fundamental freedom." As one whose public career has been devoted to the reduction of tensions between nations. the overwhelming. impartial evidence compels me to conclude that the Soviet Union has failed. and continues to fail. to abide by these guarantees. The plight of Soviet Jews illustrates the grunds for concern. Over the last several years. the expanded emigration of the late 1970s. which was so welcome. has slowed nearly to a halt. From a peak of 51.300 Jewish emigrants in 1979. the number has been cut radically. to just 896 in 1984. In place of a policy of liberal emigration has come a tightening of exit requirement.% including limitations on who may apply for an exit permit. complicated forms. long delays and bureaucratic obfuscation. While the Soviet Government alleges that the reduction of emigres is attributable to the diminishing In the number of those seeking to leave. the facts belie this claim. Jewish Soviet citizens are suffering economic punishment. imprisonment. physical and psychological abuse. family separation. and religious intolerance because they wish to exercise not only their religious teachings. but their legal rights as Soviet citizens. I want to emphasize our equally strong concerns about other nationalities and religions which are denied rights due them under Soviet law and international accords. There have been substantial reductions in the number of Germans and Armenians allowed to emigrate from the Soviet Union. Siberian Pentecostals. Baptists. and Christians. like Soviet Jews. have waited years for emigration permits. Some are in jail. like Ukranian Catholic leader Isoyp Terelya. founder of the Initiative Group for the Rights of Believers. Father Gleb Yakunin of the Christian Committee. and Lithuanian Priest Alfonsas Svarinskas of the Catholic Committee. Others. like the Jehovahs Witnesses. suffer constant persecution. During the visit of our delegation in Moscow. delegation members met with leading Soviet refuseniks. including Hebrew teachers and cultural activists. relatives of Jewish prisoners. and scientists. Many of the refuseniks with whom we met voiced the belief that the current period was crucial to future Soviet policy visavis Jewish emigration. As a result. it was particularly important for members to raise these issues. Several of the reasons cited for the timeliness of the visit Included the opening of negotiations in Geneva. the new leadership in the Kremlin. and the upcoming 40th anniversary of VE Dayconsidered a possible occasion for a general Soviet amnesty of prisoners.