Speech #1020035351

Mr. Speaker. is progress. and has greatly helped to foster better United StatesSoviet relations. Having gone most of the way toward Institutionalizing these new travel freedoms. however. the Supreme Sovietparliamentfailed three times last week to pass a new law on emigration. Finally. the Supreme Soviet passed the law on Monday. May 20. allowing travel abroad for virtually any Soviet citizen who has permission from another country to enter. This law has been In the works for 2 years. and yet wont go Into effect until January 1. 1993a very long time for those who wish to exercise their right to travel. Unfortunately. there is still a secrecy provision in the law. which has been used many times to harass persons seeking to emigrate from the Soviet Union. Until the new law goes into effect. and Is honored In practice. the right of Soviet citizens to leave their country will still not be legally enshrined. One Soviet citizen who wishes to exercise the human right to travel. and emigrate. Is Solomon Ruvimovich Smolyar. Smolyar. and his wife Anna. live In Leningrad and have been rejected for an exit visa on the everpresent pretext of secrecy. Soviet authorities suggest that Smolyar learned secrets while working at the Joint ElectroAftomatika under the Ministry of Aviation Industry. The secrecy denial is ludicrous because he dealt with matters that were made available at international shows. and the aircraft he worked on were sold to many westem countries. Last October Smolyar found out that he suffers from a cardiac condition which Is not curable in the Soviet Union. Smolyar. who has been refused an exit visa until 1995. has threatened to commit suicide if he cannot join his sons who already emigrated from the Soviet Union and live In Israel. In addition. earlier this month Smolyar was diagnosed with lateral amyotropic sclerosis. a disease with a very short life expectancy. More than 90 percent of patients with this dis-