8 ~ THE BULLETir4 ~ Thursday, July 26, 1979
NEW YORK — The Supreme Court of the Ukraine has affirmed the death sentences of four Jews convicted in August 1978 of "economic crimes" following a yearlong trial in Donetsk, according to information received by the National Conference on Soviet Jewry.
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Fifty co-defendants in, the closed trial, all of whom are not Jewish, received lesser sentences, according to information available to the NCSJ.
The four men sentenced to death are Gavriel Sepiashvili, 39, from Sukhumi, who is married and the father of three children; Raphael Abziashvili, 48, from Tblisi, married with three children; Elia Mikhash-vih, 42, from Tblisi, married with four children; anda Baku man sur-named Abassov.
Although the prosecutor had asked for sentences of 12 years for Sepiashvili, 15 for Abziashvili and 10 for Mikhashvili, they and Abassov received death sentences on August 28, 1978.
The decision of the Ukrainian Supreme Court can be upset only by the Supreme Court of the USSR. Failing that, a grant of clemency by Soviet President Leonid Brezhnev would be the only recourse.
BY BARBARA SHUMIATCHER
The Washington Vigil, maintained by Gentiles, on Shabbat and Holy Days and by Jews the rest of the time — rain or shine, every day — began in 1970, during the first Leningrad trials when Mark bymshits and Eduard Kuznetzov were sentenced to death.
Mark was in Washington during oiir policy conference with about 200 people, representing the thousands whose letters of protest had saved his life. He thanked us andalthough it was difficult to hear, his voice and his presence were eloquertce enough.
Then Leonid Slepak, accompanied by several men, started across the street to attempt to deliver a large packet of letters to the Soviet Embassy, a foreboding structure with its wrought iron grill, shadowy doorway and shuttered windows.
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Editor's Note: Barbara Shumiat-cher, an active member of the Vancouver Committee for Soviet Jewry, recently attended a policy conference of the National Conference on Soviet Jewry. She recounts some highlights of that conference, held In Washington, D.C., in this and in subsequent articles.
When Leonid started walking, we fell silent. He is very young and many of us have sons just his age.
Once inside that gate — should the Soviets decide to gr^b-him — he would be beyond oui" legal reach. Just as he reached the other .side, a huge bus pulled iip to stop in front of the gate so that we could no longer see what was going on. It was an Embassy bus, of course — their favorite prop for these occasions.
After a few moments — which seemed like hours — Leonid came back, the letters still in his hand. We milled around him, touched him (to reassure ourseles), someone said a prayer — and then we left.
This glimpse of Soviet stonewalling contrasted sharply with the ambience of a later reception at the Capitol hosted by the Congressional Wives for Soviet Jewry. This group is distinct from the well-known *adoption' program of American Senators and Congressmen, and the women have their own projects.
They were willing listeners as people moved around . relating the latest news about prisoners and refuseniks. I was talking to Mrs. Henry Jacjcson about Lev Ovsish-cher when Avital Sharansky came up to show her the letters about her husband Anatoly's illness,^ Intone mii^ii;^hpne call to Mii:^Jim^ Carter was arranged.
This incident was typical of the curious double-nature of our ^reception'; There was a. formal decorum, royal tearparty style, but the intense conversation was more like a town-meeting in some pioneer outpost. Participants discussed the plight of mutual friends and their talk was meant to lead to immediate action. ■
Near the end. Senator Jackson suddenly appeared and the crowd opened to encircle him. He reported that the State Department was phoning the Embassy in Moscow with instructions to speak to Soviet authorities about Anatoly Sharansky.
"It's not much but that's all I've been able to accomplish today. I
Help immigrants obtain liousing
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have been assured that it will be handled at the highest level,'' Senator Jackson stated.
Avital thanked him and he was about to leave but Jerry Goodman, executive-director of the National Conference on Soviet Jewry, brought Rivka Drori forward, then Leonid Slepak and Mark Dymshits.. They asked the Senator to write a letter for the remaining Leningrad prisoners.
Jackson was not sure he ought to write that day, because Presicient Carter was taking a list to the*SALT talks Summit. It was pointed out that there was no assurance that this list would be presented, to which Jackson replied, "Alright, I'll do it." As it turned out. President Carter's list was not presented.
PRISONER OF ZION
Mikhail Roiz
MIKHAIL ROIZ, 31, a Kishinev radio engiiieei^f
permififdiiim^^ ^ w yearsj^go and the Soviet auihbrities sent him call-up papers for the Soviet Army, even though he was many years beyond conscription age. By calling him up, Soviet authorities would have been able to delay his emigratioh for many years, simply by claiming that his army service had enabled him to come into possession of State secrets. Mikhail Roiz did not report for call-up, was arrested, and was sentenced in August 1978 to a year's imprisonment on a charge of evading call-up. JCNS.
EXPECT LARGEST USSR EMIGRATION
NEW YORK - Based on the first six months of the year, it appears certain that Soviet'Jewish emigration in 1979 wilt break all'records, according to the Soviet Jewry Research Bureau of the National Cotiference on Soviet Jewry.
It pointed out that the tally from January to June is 24,794, projecting a total for 1979 of nearly 50,000. This year, the number of emigres arriving in Vienna from the USSR will almost double the 28,864 Soviet Jews who left in 1978.
As emigration from the USSR steadily increases, the percentage of Soviet Jews arriving in Israel is steadily decreasing. Since January of this year, only 8,616 of the 24,794 emigrants have taken up residence in Israel.
The percentage of Jews going to Israel for this same six-month period in 1978 was approximately 55 percent.
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