Siberian Seven

The Siberian Seven refers to seven out of twenty‑nine members of two families of persecuted Pentecostals in the Soviet Union who took up residency at the U.S. embassy in Moscow on June 27, 1978.[1][2][3] These seven members represented the Vashchenko and Chmykhalov families, both originally from Chernogorsk, Siberia.[4] The seven stayed at the embassy for five years, until being granted exit visas and permission to emigrate on June 26, 1983[5] [6] before all 29 members were allowed to leave to Israel on a tourist visa. Sixteen members of the families eventually settled in the United States.[7]

See also

References

  1. ^ "7 Russ Invade U.S. Embassy, Seek Asylum". Los Angeles Times. Reuters. June 27, 1978. p. I-.
  2. ^ Merry, E. Wayne (2010). "Moscow, USSR—Consular/Political (Internal) Officer 1980-1983: Siberian Seven" (PDF). Foreign Affairs Oral History Project (Interview). Interviewed by Charles Stuart Kennedy. Association for Diplomatic Studies and Training. pp. 102–104.
  3. ^ Lubow, Arthur (18 July 1983). "At Last, the Promised Land". People Magazine. Archived from the original on 29 October 2017. Retrieved 29 October 2017.
  4. ^ Siberian Seven. Hearing Before the Subcommittee on Immigration, Refugees, and International Law of the Committee on the Judiciary, House of Representatives, Ninety-seventh Congress, Second Session, on H.R. 2873 and S. 312 (Report). U.S. Government Printing Office. 16 December 1982. p. 3.
  5. ^ Gillette, Robert (June 27, 1983). "Religious Refugees Get Visas". Los Angeles Times. p. I-1.
  6. ^ Ned Temko (June 26, 1981). "Siberian seven' begin 4th year as 'guests' of US Embassy in Moscow". The Christian Science Monitor. Retrieved 27 April 2016.
  7. ^ "16 Siberian Pentecostals End a Trip to Freedom". New York Times. Vol. 132, no. 45746. July 21, 1983. p. A14. Archived from the original on 3 August 2022. Retrieved 16 August 2022.