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PARTISAN REVIEW
my friend Anatoly Marchenko, a worker and author of two talented
and important books:
My
Testimony
and
From Tarusa to Siberia.
Im–
prisoned religious believers include Rostislav Galetsky, Bishop
Nikolai Goretoi, Alexander Ogorodnikov, and Boris Perchatkin.
Imprisoned workers inlcude Yury Grimm and Mikhail Kubobaka.
Alexei Murzhenko and Yury Fedorov are still imprisoned. I shall
name only a few scientists deprived of their freedom; many others
could be added to the list: Anatoly Shcharansky, the young compu–
ter scientist now famous around the world; mathematicians Tatiana
Velikanova, Alexander Lavut, Alexander Bolonkin, and Vazif
Meilanov; computer scientist Victor Brailovsky; economist Ida
Nudel; engineers Reshat Dzhemilev and Antanas Terleckas;
physicists Rolan Kadiyev, losif Zisels, and losif Dyadkin; chemists
Valery Abramkin and Juri Kukk; philologists Igor Ogurtsov and
Mustafa Dzhemilev; and Vladimir Balakhonov.
A common violation of human rights, and one which especially
affects scientists, is denial of permission to emigrate. The names of
many "refuseniks" are known to the West.
I was banished without a trial to Gorky more than a year ago
and placed under a regimen of almost total isolation. A few days ago
the KGB stole my manuscripts and notebooks which contained
extracts from scientific books and journals. This is a new attempt to
deprive me of any opportunity for intellectual activity, even in my
solitude, and to rob me of my memory. For more than three years
Elizaveta Alexeyeva, my son's fiancee, has been arbitrarily pre–
vented from leaving the Soviet Union. I have mentioned my own
situation because of the absence of any legal basis for the actions
taken and because the detention of Elizaveta is undisguised black–
mail directed against me. She is a hostage of the state.
I appeal to scientists everywhere to defend those who have been
repressed. I believe that in order to protect innocent persons it is per–
missible and, in many cases, necessary to adopt extraordinary mea–
sures such as an interruption of scientific contacts or other types of
boycotts. I urge the use, as well, of all the possibilities of publicity
and of diplomacy. In addressing the Soviet leaders, it is important to
take into account that they do not know about-and probably do not
want to know about-most letters and appeals directed to them.
Therefore, personal interventions by Western officials who meet
with their Soviet counterparts have particular significance. Western
scientists should use their influence to press for such interventions .
