Until the 1960s. Mr. President. the former Soviet Union never recognized the right to emigrate as a legal right. and therefore imposed very severe restrictions on its citizens. particularly its Jewish citizens who had expressed a desire to emigrate. As a result of United States pressure. the Soviets began allowing limited emigration in the sixties in the name of family reunification. The number of Soviet Jews who emigrated climbed during the early 1970s to a high of 34.000. At that point. the Soviet Union instituted what was known as an education tax. charging those wanting to emigrate the cost of their Soviet education. The United States response to the education tax was the JacksonVanik amendment. linking mostfavorednation status and Government credit to an opening of emigration by the Soviet Union. Senator Jackson stated on this floor. in support of the amendment which bears his name: The most dramatic violation of basic human rights is the decision to demand a ransom from Jews wishing to leave the Soviet Union. It violates our most deeply held convictions about human freedom and dignity.
Keywords matched
family reunification emigrate emigration emigrated