Simon Shnirman, a 25-year-old Soviet Jew who served two-and-half years in a labor camp for alleged draft evasion, was rearrested on January 12 on similar charges, the National Conference on Soviet Jewry reported. If tried and convicted Shnirman faces up to five years in a labor camp.
Shnirman, who resides in the small Ukrainian town of Kerch, applied to emigrate to Israel in 1977, to join his father, but was denied permission on the pretext that “he did not work long enough to pay for money invested by the State in his studies.” When called to serve in the army, he refused on the basis of his pending emigration application.
On June 27, 1978 he was tried and sentenced to two-and-a-half years in a labor camp. During that time he worked with common criminals and was singled out by camp authorities for special punishment — non-delivery of mail and food parcels and denial of visits from his mother. After serving his term Shnirman was released on November 29, 1980.
In a town with few Jews and no other refuseniks, Shnirman and his mother live day-to-day, waiting for permission to join his father and sister in Israel. His application to emigrate was officially refused just a week before this latest action, the National Conference stated. Shnirman is now the second former Jewish prisoner under arrest, Losif Begun, who served two sentences in exile, is being held in a prison in the city of Vladimir.
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