[Refusenik] (Russian: отказник, otkaznik, from отказ, refusal) was an unofficial term for individuals, typically but not exclusively Soviet Jews, who were denied permission to [emigrate] abroad by the authorities of the former Soviet Union and other countries of the Eastern bloc.1 The term [refusenik] derived from the refusal, handed down to a prospective [emigrant] from the Soviet authorities.
Over time, refusenik has entered colloquial English usage for any type of protester.

]]>https://definedictionarymeaning.com/topic/186558/refusenikRSS for NodeSun, 14 Jun 2026 04:53:53 GMTTue, 22 Dec 2020 05:12:50 GMT60A person in the former Soviet Union who was refused permission to emigrate, in particular, a Jewish person forbidden to emigrate to Israel.

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