While other deported peoples such as the
Chechens,
Ingush,
Kalmyks,
Karachays, and
Balkars had long since been permitted to return to their native lands and their republics were restored in addition to other forms of political rehabilitation as recognized peoples, the very same decree of 24 November 1956 “On the restoration of national autonomies of the Kalmyk, Karachay, Chechen and Ingush peoples” («О восстановлении национальных автономий калмыцкого, карачаевского, чеченского и ингушского народов») that rehabilitated those peoples in 1956 took on a
genocidal tone towards
internally deported Crimean Tatars, offering "national reunification" in the
Tatar ASSR belonging to the distinct but similarly named
Volga Tatars in lieu of restoration of the
Crimean ASSR for Crimean Tatars who sought a national autonomy, despite the fact that Crimean Tatar activists did not seek a "return" to Tatarstan. As result, Crimean Tatars organized petitions and delegations to Moscow demand their rehabilitation. The decree was issued roughly two months after a Crimean Tatar delegation met with senior government officials in Moscow, requesting to be rehabilitated in the same manner as the other deported peoples that had been rehabilitated in 1956. Much to the aghast of Crimean Tatar activists, the decree not only failed to allow them to return to Crimea en masse but also revealed that the government did not see them as a distinct ethnic group, only as "people of Tatar nationality formerly living in Crimea" and claimed that they had already "taken root" in Central Asia. == Implementation and response ==