bleich@csd2.UUCP (02/07/86)
I received the following in the mail today:
Date: 6 February 1986, 09:40:09 IST
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Paris, February 2nd
Conseil National Francais pour la protection
des droits des Juifs d'URSS
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C.Cohen-Tanoudji H.Cartan A.Lwoff J.P.Mathieu
Dear Colleague:
Vladimir Lifhshitz, a Jewish mathematician from Leningrad,
was arrested on January 8, 1986 and will shortly be tried.
He stands accused of defamation of the Soviet regime (art
190/1 of the RSFSR penal code), punishable by three years of
imprisonment. His only crime was the desire to emigrate to
Israel. Following his application for a visa, he was forced
to resign his position as head of Department of Economic
Forecast, he was dismissed from another minor position, his
mail was confiscated, his home was searched, and his son was
refused admission to the Institute of Mechanics in Leningrad
in spite of his having successfully passed the entrance
requirements.
This arrest, like others before it (R.Zelichonok,
L.Volvokski,etc...) can only arouse pessimism when
confronted with the many rumors of a possible
restart of Jewish emigration from the USSR ,and a general
liberalisation of the Soviet Jewish policy.
Only your demonstration of solidarity may help Vladimir
Lifshitz escape the ordeal which awaits him. For this
reason we are requesting that you sign the following appeal
and that you distribute it as widely as possible among your
Colleagues.
"We hereby demand the release of Vladimir Lifshitz and his
imprisoned colleagues and that permission be granted them to
practice their professions in the countries of their
choice."
Many thanks.
On behalf of the Committee: Professeur Yves Quere
How to reply:
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1-Send an electronic mail message to one of the following
addresses stating that you wish to sign the appeal.
BVIOLET at FRCPN11 on BITNET/EARN
(if you can't reach Bitnet from uucp: mcvax!inria!kahn on UUCP)
2-If you do NOT want your position to appear on the
Statement to be sent to the Soviet scientific authorities,
please state so clearly.
3-We thank you in advance for your efforts to distribute
this message among your friends and colleagues.