Mr. Speaker. the case of refusenik Zinovi Ostrovsky is both a striking and far too common example of the Soviet Unions refusal to respect its citizens right to emigrate. a right that it subscribed to when it signed the Helsinki accords. Zinovi is an engineer by profession. He is now working as a kitchen helper in a restaurant. Zinovi was fired from his engineering job in 1976 after his older sister applied for an emigration visa to Israel in 1976. This is an example of Soviet officiils punishing family members of those who eiercise their right to emigrate. In the spring of 1979. Zinovi applied for an exit visa. He was last refused in 1984 because "his emigration is not in the interest of the state." How can the emigration of a kitchen worker not be in the interest of the state? He has not worked as an engineer for 10 years! Zinovi seeks to emigrate along with his wife and child. Except for a son by a previous marriage who does not live with him. these are his only close relatives remaining in the Soviet Union. His elderly father and one sister live in Israel.
Keywords matched
emigrate emigration visa