Long-time Kiev Refusnik Placed in a Psychiatric Institution

Vladimir Kislik, prominent physicist, long-term refusnik and Jewish activist from Kiev, was taken to a psychiatric institution on July 19 after being imprisoned for 15 days, according to confirmed reports received by the National Conference on Soviet Jewry (NCSJ). He was arrested on July 4 on charges of “hooliganism,” and sentenced to 15 days in prison. At the conclusion of his stay in jail he was told that his sentence was extended for an additional 15 days. In protest, Kislik staged a hunger strike and, as punishment, was taken to a psychiatric institution in this city.

Kislik, a refusnik since 1974, had been warned repeatedly by the KGB to end his contacts with new refusniks. On March 20, he was threatened by KGB officers that he would be charged with “anti-Soviet behavior” and sentenced to 2-3 years in a labor camp, should he continue his “activities.” Prior to the Olympics, he was summoned by Soviet authorities and told to stay away from foreigners. He was also told that he may be imprisoned for the duration of the Olympics.

Informed sources from Kiev claim that harassments against Kislik have been escalating because Soviet authorities want to “isolate” him. They say that the KGB is particularly eager to discourage new refusniks from getting involved in Jewish activist circles.

In reaction to Kislik’s imprisonment and confinement in a psychiatric institution, the NCSJ has sent a cable to the President of the International Olympic Committee Lord Killanin to protest the inhumane treatment of Jewish activists and refusniks the Soviet authorities. The organization particularly emphasized the increased campaign of arrests and harassment leveled against them in the wake of the Olympic Games.