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Students End Hunger Strike

December 16, 1977
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The 14 York University students who two weeks ago began a 15-day hunger strike on behalf of Soviet Jews, especially Anatoly Shcharansky, the Soviet Jewish activist who faces treason charges, called off their fast after II days on Tuesday after a Cabinet Minister promised immediate action to press the Soviet Union for Shcharansky’s release from prison.

Norm Cafik, Minister for Multiculturalism, visited the university campus here and assured the hunger strikers he would call on the Soviet Ambassador to appeal on behalf of Soviet Jews and Shcharansky. He also stated that he would ask the government to waive immigration procedures and accept Shcharansky as an immigrant if the Soviets agree to release him.

External Affairs Minister Donald Jamieson told the Parliament yesterday that he had spoken to Soviet Ambassador A.N. Yakovlev on behalf of Shcharansky, that the government was ready to sponsor him as an immigrant and that the government was willing to pass a Cabinet order clearing his admission it the USSR releases him.

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