Speech #1000155426

The people of the other Baltic nations regularly are subJected to the same treatment. as are many other nationalities and religious groups in the Soviet Union. There are numerous examples of Soviet human rights abuses. but I will mention two. Emigration: It is well known that the Soviets have denied many of their people the right to emigrate. According to the State Department there are only three groups that are allowed to emigrateJews. ethnic Germans. and Armenians. Yet. even the people in these groups are subjected to arbitrary and stifling barriers when they apply to emigrate. The welcome liberalization of emigration controls that led to the outpouring of Soviet Jews in the late 1970s Is now reduced to a trickle. While 51.000 Jews were allowed to emigrate in 1979. less than 1.000 were let out in 1986. and this increased to only slightly above 8.000 in 1987. There are indications. however. that things may be changing for the better. I applaud the progress made during this weeks meeting between Secretary of State Shultz and Soviet Foreign Minister Shevardnadze. The Soviets have indicated that they will suspend a very restrictive emigration provision. But proclamations must be followed up with sustained action. and with progress on other human rights issues. Political and religious prisoners: While we have recently seen the release of some religious and political prisoners in the Soviet Union. there are still many more that are imprisoned.