The new Soviet citizenship law which came into effect July I could be used for restricting emigration, according to an analysis of the new law by Dr. S. J. Roth, director of the Institute of Jewish Affairs (IJA). the London-based research arm of the World Jewish Congress, and published as a Research Report.
Of all the Soviet citizens who emigrate, only Jews emigrating to Israel are forced arbitrarily to renounce their citizenship; the new law may make this more difficult than ever. It declares that “unfulfilled commitments to the state” can be used as a reason for refusing the renunciation of citizenship, a provision which, the IJA report said, “offers unlimited opportunities for restrictive policies and bureaucratic chicanery.”
Prior to the new law, refusal of the right to leave the USSR has always been justified by the Soviet authorities on the basis of protecting “national security,” “public order” or a related reason. The report pointed out that additional possible restrictions on emigration might result from an Article in the new law which stipulates that children must retain Soviet citizenship if one parent renounces and the other retains it.
The new law, with its harsh provisions, came into force during the “present more liberal emigration policy” of the USSR and, the report continues, “the new levers of restriction … can be used whenever it suits the whim and policies of the Soviet authorities” even though these restrictions are contrary to the international obligations undertaken by the USSR.
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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.
