As a token of the Soviets apparent good faith. Moscow has allowed a few prominent refuseniks and dissidents to leave the country or come out of internal exile. We also have written promises for the release of over 100 prisoners of conscience. and the Soviets have just recently liberalized their emigration law. Finally. monthly statistics for 1987 show that more people have received permission to leave the Soviet Union than at any other time since 1979. These developments are encouraging. but many of them remain deeds not in support of a more humane policy toward dying men and women. but in support of Mr. Gorbachevs public relations compaign to convince the United States and its allies that the Soviet Union is a benign power threatened by the military strength of the West. Furthermore. these weak signs of optimism do not tell the whole Soviet emigration story. At the end of 1980. Jewish emigration from the U.S.S.R. stood at approximately 21.000 people. Yet 2 years into the Gorbachev era. that number had tumbled to less than 1.000. And the socalled liberalization of the Soviet emigration decree extended primarily to divided spouses. while remaining silent on the more than 90 percent of the refuseniks who want to leave for religious. humanitarian. or medical reasons. Moreover. significant numbers of longtime refuseniks still receive denials on the basis of "secret work" which is no longer classified. Finally. Soviet emigration authorities have actually closed the doors of liberty by rarely issuing visas to firsttime applicants. We have yet to hear any fanfare for the nameless people as the image of "glasnost" otherwise parades through the Western media. Their requests for marrow transplants. a peaceful place of worship. or reunification with families can go unheard because they do not undermine Mr.
Keywords matched
emigration visas