Speech #1000095859

I rise today to call the attention of my distinguished colleagues in the House to the tragic situation of the Terlitsky family of Moscow. Mark Terlitsky. his wife Svetlana Kredova. their daughter Olga Terlitskaya. and his mother Fanya Terlitskaya. have been trying to leave the Soviet Union for over 10 years. Although Marks brother and Svetlanas sister were allowed to immigrate to the United States. the other family members havent gotten the good news from the Moscow Visa Office for which theyve long hoped. Mark Terlitsky and his family first applied to emigrate from the Soviet Union in 1976. but their requests have always been denied. allegedly for "possession of state secrets." Mark Terlitsky was employed as an architect by Mosproject2. an office that designs civic projects in Moscow. and as such was required during that time to hold a lowlevel security clearance. However. he never worked with any classified documents nor was he ever familiar with the details of any classified projects. The familys situation has grown increasingly desperate since their first application for exit visas in 1976. Mark Terlitsky was demoted from architect to draftsman after 16 years of professional experience. His wife. an economics analyst. also lost her job.