Aleksandr Silnitsky of Krasnodar, has been sentenced to three years on “draft evasion” charges after months of harassment by Soviet authorities, it was reported today by the Greater New York Conference on Soviet Jewry. The GNYCSJ said it received a telegram from Aleksandr’s father, Teivel, calling for his immediate release.
Aleksandr Silnitsky, 23, is the latest victim of Soviet repression which is part of a pattern to intimidate those seeking to emigrate to Israel, the GNYCSJ said. The Silnitskys first applied for exit visas September, 1974. Aleksandr was subsequently expelled from the Krasnodar Institute and his father was dismissed from his position as a lecturer at the Pyrotechnical Institute.
Last July 24, Aleksandr was told that neither he nor his family would ever receive exit permits. He was twice summoned to register at military headquarters but refused to comply with the orders claiming that he was an Israeli citizen. He was arrested on Sept. 10 for draft evasion and tried six weeks later.
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