Ilia Glezer, a student at Moscow University, was transferred Saturday to the Lefortova prison in Moscow, a prison for political prisoners, it was reported today by the Student Struggle for Soviet Jewry. Glezer was arrested after the KGB searched his home on Feb. 7 and confiscated books on Jews and Judaic topics. Glenn Richter, national coordinator of the SSSJ, said that in a telephone conversation with sources in Moscow, Glezer may be charged with anti-Soviet agitation under Article 70.
“This appears to be an ominous development,” Richter said. “Jews in Moscow have been arrested previously but charged with hooliganism and given 15-day sentences. A political charge against Glezer may signify the beginning of a new series of arrests similar to that of 1970 which ended in the Leningrad trials.” According to Richter, sources in Moscow said that other Jews may be in danger of arrests on political charges.
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.
