Speech #1000122453

In 4 days the Soviet Union will mark the 70th anniversary of the Russian revolution. and in a major address yesterday Mikhail Gorbachev actually denounced Josef Stalin for enormous and unforgiveable crimes. Secretary Gorbachev deserves one cheer for honesty. Examining the crimes of the past is a good beginning. but we would all be better served if he would deal with abuses of the present. After seven decades of Communist rule. human rights are still violated with impunity in the Soviet Union. Soviet citizens are still denied the right to emigrate. Soviet Christians are still denied the right to worship. Soviet intellectuals are still denied the opportunity to speak out and they are exiled or imprisoned when they try.