Yevgeniy and Rimma Yakir of Moscow have also been told recently that they can leave the Soviet Union after more than 14 years of waiting. Yevgeniy. like so many others. lost his job when he first applied. and has been eking out a precarious living ever since. His son Alexander refused to be drafted into the Soviet Army because he knew the authorities have used military service. even as an infantryman or cooks helper. to deny permission to emigrate on the grounds of possession of state secrets. Alexander Yakir was therefore sentenced to 2 years in a labor camp. He returned home in the summer of 1986. fortunately in better health and spirits than most survivors of Soviet labor camps. Even during their sons imprisonment Yevgeniy and Rimma Yakir refused to submit to despair. Their conduct in the face of arbitrary injustice and possible danger is a lesson in human courage for us all. Vladimir and Maria Slepak first applied for permission to emigrate 20 years ago. Both their professional careers were ended. but they continued to insist on their right to emigrate. Like Ida Nudel. they hung a placard outside their apartment. For that crime Vladimir was sent to a remote Siberian village for 5 years.
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emigrate