Speech #1000133870

Since my first days in Congress some 20 years ago. I have joined an overwhelming majority of Members of this august body in working to secure basic human rights for the estimated 3.5 million Jews who reside in the Soviet Union. The Soviet Union has a horrendous record of denying those courageous individuals of basic human rights. including the right to practice their religious and cultural beliefs. and the right to emigrate. More than 400.000 Soviet Jews have applied to leave the Soviet Union. and some 20.000 Soviet Jews have been refused the right to emigrate at least once. Just recently. we passed a resolution calling upon the Soviet Union to immediately grant permission to emigrate to all of those persons in the Soviet Union who desire to join their spouses in the United States. The fact is. we have identified at least 15 cases where the Soviet Union has refused to grant exit visas or marriage permits to Soviets who have a spouse in the United States. in direct contradiction of the Helsinki accords. to which the Soviet Union is a signatory. Just prior to that action. a number of us raised our voices against reports that Soviet authorities were threatening to impose criminal penalties against the proud people of Latvia who would dare to celebrate their shortlived independence of long ago. But. even with the Soviets long history of human rights atrocities and their recent demonstrations of the same. we have been given some hopeful glimpses of change. For example. some 6.340. Soviet Jews were allowed to emigrate during the first 10 months of this year. compared to about 900 who were allowed to leave during all of 1986. Just 2 weeks ago. I was proud to stand in the Capitol and greet Vladimir and Maria Slepak. two longtime Soviet refuseniks. who had finally been allowed to emigrate after a 17year struggle. And. before that I was proud to issue a formal welcome that appeared in the pages Soviet Jew who was finally granted freedom after enduring seemingly endless physical and mental suffering. Her name is Ida Nudel. and her struggle and the courage she demonstrated throughout will never be forgotten. It was an inspiration to us all. and its also because of the Slepaks and the Ida Nudels that we will never be able to rest until every Jew who wants to leave the Soviet Union is allowed to do so. and until those who wish to stay are permitted to practice their religious and cultural beliefs free of persecution. So. while we continue to hope that glasnost is more than mere words and shortterm improvements. we are constantly reminded that the Soviets have a long way to go. They could start by revamping their emigration law. which still restricts this right to those persons who have a first degree relative living in another country. Mr. Speaker. lets use this opportunity today to send a strong and clear message to Soviet leader Gorbachev that the mixed signals being sent from the Soviet Union on human rights. particularly the treatment of Soviet Jews. are unacceptable.