Mr. Speaker. in spite of the welcome release from the Soviet Union this past spring of Anatoly Shcharansky. the grim news is that emigration levels from the Soviet Union are at record lows. For the first 6 months of 1986. only 386 Soviet Jews have been permitted to leave. in stark contrast to the high annual rate of over 51.000 in 1979. And. in spite of Soviet official protestations to the contrary. responsible estimates of those still seeking to leave that country on grounds of religious conscience alone conservatively range from 300.000 to 400.000. Locked within Soviet borders. the Jewish community continues to face harassment. professional and educational discrimination. officially sanctioned antisemitism. religious persecution. arrest. and incarceration in labor camps. insane asylums and prisons.
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emigration