Mr. President. I rise to draw my colleagues attention to the case of Vladimir Tsivkin. a Soviet refusenik from Leningrad who has repeatedly been denied permission to emigrate but has already been granted status as a refugee. I urge the Soviet Union to resolve this case and grant Vladimir permission to leave the Soviet Union. Frankly I will not rest until he does get permission. Mr. President. this case is one of the few sour notes in an otherwise harmonious attitude about emigration. Soviet Jews have been granted permission to leave the Soviet Union in record numbers over the last year. and we are grateful to see them adhere to that fundamental right among human rights we insist upon as the Helsinki accords dictate. Thousands upon thousands make the pilgrimage to either the promised land or to a country of their choice every month. Most favored nation status looms on the horizon. as a trade agreement with Moscow is signed in preparation for the upcoming summit. The era of good feelings between the Soviet Union and America albeit with some exceptions. is upon us. In this heady rush to freedom. it is easy. even tempting. to forget about those who have been refused emigration rights and who are left behind. But we cannot forget. The cases of hardcore refuseniks who continue to be denied permission to emigrate must be resolved. We must make sure that every Soviet citizen who wants to leave is granted permission to do so. For if even one person is arbitrarily denied permission to leave. there is no true freedom of emigration. A life is a terrible thing to waste. This is even truer today than before as storm clouds gather over the remaining shreds of the Jewish population left in the Soviet Union.
Keywords matched
emigrate emigration refugee