Deportation of Koreans, Crimean Tatars and Meskhetian Turks to Uzbekistan (1937-1944)  and the Comparison of their Socio-Legal Status

Adolat Rakhmankulova

Deportation of Koreans, Crimean Tatars and Meskhetian Turks to Uzbekistan (1937-1944)  and the Comparison of their Socio-Legal Status 

(55th Meeting, 2012)

Due to the deportation policy of the Soviet state, many people were forcibly deported to other parts of the country. In particular, in 1937, the Koreans were deported from Russian Far East, in 1944, the people of the Crimea and the Caucasus, respectively. A large number of Koreans, Crimean Tatars and Meskhetian Turks were resettled in Uzbekistan. Crimean Tatars and Meskhetian Turks from 1944 to 1956 were members of the “special resettlement” group, and were superintended by special commandants’ offices.

The question about the legal status of deported Koreans has been controversial, so far. Formally, the Koreans were considered to have had the status of administratively expelled, but not part of the special settlers, although they were largely restricted in their rights. This presentation provides new facts that clarify the comparative socio-legal status of the deported peoples in Uzbekistan.