While that compares quite favorably with the first part of the 1980s when the annual number was barely over 1.000. I urge my colleagues in the Senate to continue the fight for these victims of the Soviets oppressive system. In spite of the recent improvement. the handling of emigration requests remains very unsatisfactory and the treatment of Jews in the Soviet Union remains entirely unacceptable. The position of international law on the question of the right to emigrate is clear. For example. according to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. article 13 states that. "Everyone has the right to leave any country. including his own. * * *" Two other agreements. the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and the 1975 Helsinki accords. are similarly unambiguous. The former asserts that "Everyone shall be free to leave any country. including his own." The latter incorporates reference from previous human rights documents including the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and provides for the right of family reunification. It is particularly noteworthy that the Soviet Union holds its policies on emigration to be in accord with the provisions of these two agreements. as the First Deputy Minister of Justice recently stated in an interview. It would be good if this were a sign of a Soviet desire to comply with those agreements. We. however. cannot ease the pressure until all Jews who so desire can leave the Soviet Union.
Keywords matched
family reunification emigrate emigration