CONCURRENT RESOLUTIONS—SEPT. 19, 1985
99 STAT. 1961
Whereas, the Declaration further states that "everyone hgis the right to freedom of movement and residence within the borders of each State", and that "everyone has the right to leave any country, including his own, and to return to his country"; Whereas, the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights provides that "everyone lawfully within the territory of a State shall, within that territory, have the right to liberty of movement and freedom to choose his residence", and that "everyone shall be free to leave any country, including his own", and that "no one shall be arbitrarily deprived of the right to enter his own country"; Whereas, the Final Act of the Conference on Security and Cooperation in Europe provided that each of the "participating states will respect human rights and fundamental freedoms, including the freedom of thought (and) conscience... for all", and recognized that all human rights "derive from the inherent dignity of the human person"; Whereas, this same Act pledged that the participating states would "deal in a positive and a humanitarian spirit with the applications of persons who wish to be reunited with members of their family, with special attention being given to requests of an urgent character—such as requests submitted by persons who are ill or old"; Whereas, the Act further commits participating states "to facilitate wider travel by their citizens for personal or professional reasons"; Whereas, the Act specifically affirms the "right of the individual to know and act upon his rights and duties under the agreement and affirms the positive role individuals play in the implementation of the Act; Whereas, the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics signed the Final Act of the Conference on Security and Cooperation in Europe, is a party to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, and has ratified the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights; Whereas, Nobel Laureate Andrei Sakharov, who, exercising his right as an individual to monitor compliance with the Final Act, had become a leader of the human rights movement in the Soviet Union, was arrested and exiled to Gorky in direct contravention of the above-mentioned human rights agreements; Whereas, his wife Elena Bonner, as a result of her efforts to exercise her right of self-expression, has been detained and charged with anti-Soviet agitation; Whereas, Dr. Bonner is thought to be in urgent need of medical attention available only in the West; Whereas, Dr. Sakharov is reported to have undertaken a hunger strike, to the point of endangering his health; Whereas, communication between the Sakharovs in the Soviet Union and their children and stepchildren in the United States has been repeatedly interrupted, delayed, and tampered with by the Soviet authorities; Whereas, the absence of reliable communications between the branches of the family has created serious doubt as to the state of well-being of Dr. Sakharov and Dr. Bonner; Whereas, Mr. Alexei Semyonov, the stepson of Dr. Sakharov and the son of Dr. Bonner, has embarked on a hunger strike to dramatize the plight of his family and to protest the cruel obstruction of his efforts to communicate with his loved ones;
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