[Congressional Record Volume 140, Number 44 (Wednesday, April 20, 1994)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]


[Congressional Record: April 20, 1994]
From the Congressional Record Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]

 
                     REFUSENIK ALEXANDER MAGIDOVICH

                                 ______


                          HON. STENY H. HOYER

                              of maryland

                    in the house of representatives

                       Wednesday, April 20, 1994

  Mr. HOYER. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to voice my concern over the 
continued plight of Russian state secrecy refuseniks. As I have stated 
on several occasions in the past, it has become in the last 5 years 
much earlier to emigrate from Russia. However, there are still some 
individuals who have been refused permission to leave Russia. Today, I 
wish to speak about the case of Alexander and Elena Magidovich of Tula, 
Russia, who have been denied the right to leave for over 21 years and 
who are still being refused today.
  Since 1973 Alexander and Elena, along with their two children Benzion 
and Hana, have been denied the right to leave, first under the Soviet 
Union and now under Russian authority. The family has reapplied in 
1977, 1983, and again in March 1993.
  Alexander has made his profession in mechanical engineering. In 
addition, he has an interest in publishing a Russian-Hebrew dictionary. 
Alexander is a talented individual that has routinely been unable to 
provide for his family because of incarcerations and persecution.
  After Alexander Magidovich reapplied in 1977, he was interrogated by 
the KGB concerning Natan Sharanksy. In 1980, he was arrested and 
charged with anti-Soviet agitation. He was held for 5 months in the 
Serbsky Psychiatric Institute before being transferred to prison, tried 
and sentenced to 2\1/2\ years imprisonment. He served his sentence at a 
labor camp in the far north, near Archangel.
  Russia, as a CSCE member, has pledged to allow freedom of movement of 
its people. While Russia has made important progress in this respect, 
and freedom of movement has largely ceased to be a problem area, 
individuals such as Mr. Magidovich and his family continue to be denied 
the right to leave.
  Mr. President, I urge Russia to comply with their CSCE commitments 
and to honor the human rights of their citizens. According to the CSCE 
Vienna follow-up meeting of January 1989, all CSCE members pledged that 
applications for travel abroad should be handled with expediency and in 
a non-arbitrary manner. It is time for Mr. Magidovich's family to be 
permitted to emigrate.

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