Syrian Foreign Minister Faruq AlSharaa spoke of the unprecedented levels of tolerance Jews enjoy in the Arab world and in Syria in particular. Unfortunately. the facts paint a very different picture of the current plight of Syrian Jews. An estimated 4.000 Jews are trapped in Syria. deprived of their internationally recognized human right to freedom of emigration and movement. The restrictions on Jewish emigration and movement violate the international covenant on civil and political rights. to which Syria is a signatory. Syrian Jews who wish to leave the country are forced to post an onerous monetary deposit and leave family members behind as assurance for their return. r- 2240 Not only are Jews unable to leave the country. their movement within Syria is severely restricted. Jews in Syria are concentrated in ghettos where they are closely monitored by the Syrian secret police. Those caught attempting to flee the country are beaten. tortured. imprisoned without trial. and often held incommunicado. This community lives in constant fear. House Concurrent Resolution 188. as amended. condemns Syrias continuing denial of Syrian Jews internationally recognized right to freedom of emigration and movement. calls on the Syrian Government to immediately grant Syrian Jews the right to emigrate freely without imposing any excessive fees and to release all Jewish prisoners who were imprisoned for their attempts to exercise their rights to freedom of emigration and movement. It also urges the President to encourage our allies and trading partners to make similar pleas to the Syrian Government and to seek a U.N. investigation of the present condition of Syrian Jews and the status of adherence of internationally recognized human rights in Syria. There are some who argue that the timing for the consideration of this resolution is not right.
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emigrate emigration