General Secretary Gorbachev. however. has denied that there are political prisoners and that charges of antiSemitism are nothing more than psychological warfare by the West. While we celebrate Shcharanskys release and as we look forward to his visit to the United States. we have documented requests from 40.000 Soviet Jews who want to leave the Soviet Union. Yes. we can rejoice that Anatoly Shcharansky has been let go and that the Soviets in this particular instance have honored the pledge they made in August of 1975 in Helsinki to allow people who desire to do so to freely emigrate. We believe in that principle as U.S. citizens. How ironic it would be if the freest Nation in the world adopted the policy of the Soviet Union and said to its own citizens. "You cannot leave our borders. You must. in fact. be a citizen of the United States." What a statement it is to the failure of the Soviet system that they have to construct an Iron Curtain. both figuratively and actually. around their borders not to keep people out. not to protect themselves from outsiders. but to keep their people in. So it is important. and I think Anatoly Shcharansky would have us continue to remember and fight on behalf of those brave individuals. In addition. there are many thousands of Soviet citizens of other nationalities who would like to emigrate if only they had the opportunity. Vladimir Lifshitz. a Hebrew teacher. who sought permission to emigrate in 1981 was arrested on January 8 and what was the charge? AntiSoviet slander. It is a crime of simply speaking out. of sharing his thoughts and hopes to his fellow citzens about the circumstances in which he and his fellow citizens live.
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emigrate