Plight of Polsky to Be Dramatized by Mass Demonstration at Aeroflot

Outraged by the Soviet government’s plan to use a woman’s suicide attempt to “railroad” Dr. Victor Polsky, a famed Jewish physicist, into prison, protestors are planning to stage a mass demonstration tomorrow to appeal for justice for Dr. Polsky and for other Soviet Jews seeking to emigrate from the USSR.

The demonstration, coordinated by the Greater New York Conference on Soviet Jewry, will be held in front of the offices of Aeroflot, the Soviet Airline. Scheduled speakers include Bronx Borough President Robert Abrams, a vice-chairman of the Conference; Mario Cuomo, Democratic candidate for Lt. Gov.; and Democratic Assemblyman Anthony Olivieri.

Malcolm Hoenlein, Conference executive director, in discussing the demonstration said today that “at this very moment Dr. Polsky is facing a possible trial that could result in a severe prison term, solely because he and his family have sought repeatedly to emigrate from the USSR.” He said that the Polsky case, along with other reported trials being prepared, “may signal a new wave of terror by the Soviets against Jews who have applied for exit visas. In all likelihood Dr. Polsky and others threatened with imprisonment are being exploited by the Kremlin to dissuade Jews from even considering emigration.”

Hoenlein pointed out that in March of this year, Dr. Polsky, who first applied for an exit visa six years ago, was involved in an auto accident. Tatyana Aleksandrove Zhukova, 19, whose father is a Lt. Col. in the Ministry of Internal Affairs (the KGB), had quarreled with her parents and was apparently running away from home. The woman threw herself in front of Dr. Polsky’s car in what was described by witnesses as “an apparent suicide attempt” and she herself testified that Dr. Polsky was innocent of any wrongdoing, Hoenlein said.

POLSKY CASE PARALLELS THAT OF FELDMAN

However, Miss Zhukova and her parents subsequently changed their testimony and Dr. Polsky was charged with operating an automobile “in an unsafe manner.” Now, after an indicuaent and an investigation that has spanned several months, the probe has been concluded and a trial may be imminent. Dr. Polsky could receive as much as three years in prison for what has been called “manslaughter.”

The Polsky case, Hoenlein emphasized, closely parallels that of Aleksandr Feldman, a young activist who was arrested last Oct. and accused of allegedly assaulting a woman. The charge against him was “malicious hooliganism.” His 10-day trial was held in Nov. in a Kiev factory. His family was not permitted to attend, nor were any witnesses for the defense allowed to testify.

Feldman, who was sentenced to three-and-a-half years at hard labor, has sought for two years to emigrate to Israel. Soviet authorities denied his application on the grounds that he possessed what they called “classified information.” About a month ago, the Greater New York Conference learned that Feldman was severely beaten and his face mutilated while in solitary confinement in the prison camp in which he is being held.