Page:United States Statutes at Large Volume 98 Part 3.djvu/1076

 98 STAT. 3448

CONCURRENT RESOLUTIONS—MAY 18, 1984

minority leader, shall be authorized to appoint a delegation representing the Senate. Agreed to May 17, 1984.

May 18, 1984 [H. Con. Res. 304]

ELENA BONNER AND ANDREI SAKHAROV—U.S. SUPPORT FOR RELEASE FROM IMPRISONMENT AND EMIGRATION FROM U.S.S.R. Whereas the Final Act of the Conference on Security and Cooperation in Europe commits the signatory countries to respect human rights and fundamental freedoms; Whereas the signatory countries have pledged themselves to "fulfill in good faith their obligations under international law"; Whereas the Universal Declaration of Human Rights guarantees to all the rights of freedom of thought, conscience, religion, opinion, and expression; Whereas the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights guarantees that everyone shall have the right to freedom of thought, conscience, and religion, the right to hold opinions without interference, and the right of freedom of expression; Whereas the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics signed the Final Act of the Conference on Cooperation and Security in Europe, is a party to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, and has ratified the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights; Whereas Principle VII of the Final Act specifically confirms the "right of the individual to know and act upon his rights and duties" in the field of human rights, and Principle IX confirms the relevant and positive role individuals play in the implementation of the provisions of the Final Act; Whereas Nobel Laureate Andrei Sakharov, leader of the human rights movement in the Soviet Union, was arrested and exiled to Gorky in direct contravention of Principle VII of the Helsinki Final Act, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights; Whereas Doctor Sakharov's wife, Elena Bonner, has recently been detained and charged with anti-Soviet ajgitation and is in urgent need of medical treatment unavailable in the Soviet Union; and Whereas Doctor Sakharov has, as a last resort, begun a hunger strike in an attempt to have the charges against his wife dismissed and so that she may be given the exit visa denied her in the past for the purpose of obtaining medical treatment abroad: Now, therefore, be it Resolved by the House of Representatives (the Senate concurring). That it is the sense of the Congress that, in accordance with the Final Act of the Conference on Security and Cooperation in Europe, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics should void all charges against Elena Bonner, issue her an exit visa for the purpose of obtaining medical care outside the Soviet

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