Speech #1000128756

President. there have been many interesting developments in the Soviet Union during recent months. The new leadership of that country has been credited with possessing a willingness to consider positive change in their society. There is one area. however. in which change has been painfully slow. and that is in the area of Jewish emigration. The Soviet record on emigration remains unacceptable. Thousands of Jews have applied for exit visas only to be refused with little or no explanation. Increasingly Soviet authorities have denied immigration petitions claiming that state secrecy would be compromised by honoring certain individuals rights to emigrate. Adding to the problem. Soviet authorities regularly deny emigration applications to persons who are merely related to an individtal who may have had access to sensitive materials. One such case in which Soviet authorities have used the "state secrecy" excuse is that of Dr. Benjamin Charny. the Soviet mathematician. During the 1960s Dr. Charney was involved in some of the early computer work in support of the Soviet space program. Since 1979. the Soviets have repeatedly cited that work when denying his numerous emigration requests. I do not find this a credible explanation. My own experience with our countrys space program tells me that very little technology remains sensitive for 20 years. Furthermore Dr. Charnys work has been published in the open scientific press and several of his research colleagues have been permitted to emigrate. It is an unfortunate fact that many Soviet Jews continue to be denied their right to emigrate. however. Dr Charneys situation is particularly tragic because he suffers from both heart disease and cancer. His only hope rests with medical treatment available in the West. a fact which is known to Soviet authorities but about which they appear to have little concern. Dr. Charney and thousands of other Soviet Jews continue to seek to exercise their right to emigrate. The Helsinki final act. an international human rights document to which the Soviet Union is a signatory. declares that emigration is a fundamental human right. Yet the Soviet leadership continues to ignore its obligations under this agreement and to deny the emigration rights of its people. I find this unconscionable. In this critical presummit period I urge the Soviets to demonstrate a genuine recognition of their peoples fundamental human rights. including the right to emigrate. An excellent place to start would be to expeditiously reconsider and approve Benjamin Charnys emigration petition.