[Congressional Record Volume 140, Number 47 (Tuesday, April 26, 1994)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]


[Congressional Record: April 26, 1994]
From the Congressional Record Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]

 
                EVGENIYA KUNINA, IN REFUSAL UNTIL 1999?

                                 ______


                          HON. STENY H. HOYER

                              of maryland

                    in the house of representatives

                        Tuesday, April 26, 1994

  Mr. HOYER. Mr. Speaker, I rise to call attention to an issue that 
many of us had thought would expire with the demise of the cold war.
  While I was visiting St. Petersburg, Russia recently with the 
majority leader, I met Evgeniya Kunina, a citizen of the Russian 
Federation from St. Petersburg, who has been denied permission to 
emigrate to America with her husband in order to reunite with their son 
Mikhail. According to OVIR, the office that issues emigration 
documents, Mrs. Kunina may not leave Russia until 1999, as she 
allegedly possesses state secrets which she obtained through working in 
the St. Petersburg research and production corporation, Impuls.
  It is important to note here that Mrs. Kunina quit her job at Impuls 
in February 1991. Thus, OVIR is saying she has to remain hostage in 
Russia for 8 years after she left her allegedly classified employment. 
I would note that under Russian law employees of classified 
institutions are by law notified prior to employment that they may not 
be able to leave for 5 years. In this era of scientific exchange, 
openness, and technological progress, the 8-year determination appears 
arbitrary and the result of personal antagonism rather than scientific 
considerations.
  In a statement issued by the Russian Embassy in Washington, DC, in 
1993, the Russian Government noted that the legacy of ``refuseniks'' in 
the Soviet Union was dealt with ``in no hurry and very 
inconsistently.'' It would appear that Mrs. Kunina is an unfortunate 
victim of this legacy.
  Certainly, the number of ``refuseniks'' has plummeted since the 
collapse of communism, but that must be cold comfort for a woman who 
has been told she will be unable to join her son for another 5 years. I 
urge the Russian Government to allow Mrs. Kunina to emigrate with her 
husband and join their son here in the United States.

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