This raises the death toll of Sovet Jewish refuseniks recently to four. Inna Meiman. who died only 3 weeks after arriving in the United States for medical care. Michael Shirman. whose sister was not allowed to travel to Israel to donate bone marrow until it was too late. and Yuri Shpeizman. who collapsed and died in Vienna just days after having been granted emigration permission from the Soviet Union. It is through their eyes that we must view glasnost. Rimma Brawe. her husband Vladimir. and her parents first applied to leave the Soviet Union in February 1979. But before a response could be received. her father died. In December of that year. permission was received. exist visas were granted. and the family made preparations to depart the Soviet Union on January 17. 1980. On January 7. 1980. however. OVIR authorities called the family into its offices. and ordered that their visas be handed in for clarification. In a meeting with officials 1 week later. it was disclosed that these three individuals would be considered under the application of Vladimirs parents. who had also applied to emigrate the previous May. Refusal to the group was based on Vladimirs fathers having worked in a military plant years earlier. Rimma Brawes mother was allowed to emigrate several months later. but the rest sustained repeated refusals to their ongoing application. Unemployed. the situation grew worse when in 1984. Rimma underwent surgery for ovarian cancer.
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emigrate emigration visas