The World - News from Oct. 4, 1988

Representatives of grass-roots political groups from the Ukraine to the Soviet Far East met in Tallinn, capital of the Estonian republic, and denounced what they described as attempts by Communist authorities to prevent them from organizing freely, gaining access to the mass media and participating in elections. Complaints of official harassment and even of persecution were aired at the meeting, which was attended by members of about 50 informal political organizations. The gathering followed by one day a precedent-setting weekend congress in Tallinn of the Estonian Popular Front, which adopted a radical reform platform calling for, among other things, free elections, property guarantees and an end to compulsory military service.