The United Nations was informed today by the Soviet Government that no racial or religious discrimination exists in the Soviet Union and that national minorities are protected by law.
The Soviet communication took no note of charges voiced recently by the Jewish Labor Committee and the American Jewish Committee that Jewish cultural life is being “liquidated” by the Soviet authorities through systematic arrests of Jewish writers and the suspension of publication of Jewish newspapers and books, as well as the closing down of Jewish institutions.
The Soviet statement, dated February 10, quoted Articles 123 and 124 of the Constitution of the USSR, Article 13 of the Declaration of Rights of the Peoples of the USSR, and Article 59 of the Soviet Criminal Code of 1926. These include guarantees of equal rights to all Soviet citizens in economic, cultural and social-political life; freedom of worship; self-determination; the right of free development of all nationalities, and prison terms for those who disseminate propaganda of national or religious enmity.
The Moscow communication was sent to the United Nations in reply to a questionnaire on the treatment of national minorities. This questionnaire was sent by the U.N. to all member governments with a view to establishing the exact facts concerning the situation of ethnic and religious groups in various countries.
The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
