The Letter of Seventeen (Russian: «Письмо семнадцати») was a highly controversial open letter published in Lenin Bayrağı in March 1968, condemning the desire for the right of return among the exiled Crimean Tatar community. It was often referred to as "the letter of seventeen traitors."
The letter addressed the experiences and struggles of Crimean Tatars in Central Asia, downplaying the discrimination they faced. It advised the Crimean Tatar community to accept their circumstances and settle in Central Asia rather than advocating for their right to return to Crimea—a desire held by many within the community. The letter referenced Ukaz 493, claiming it had "radically solved their national question," even though the decree was widely unpopular among Crimean Tatars. The decree initially created false hope for some, leading them to believe they could return to Crimea, only to face deportation again. While the decree officially recognized Crimean Tatars as rehabilitated, it did not grant them the right to reparations or the ability to return to their homeland.Furthermore, the decree reinforced the use of the phrase "citizens of Tatar nationality who formerly lived in Crimea" instead of the ethnonym "Crimean Tatar," a practice aligned with the Soviet Union's denial of the Crimean Tatar identity. The letter concluded by characterizing the idea of returning to Crimea as an unrealistic aspiration that should be abandoned in favor of the perceived greater good. It was co-signed by 17 members of the community, who, though somewhat accomplished, were not widely recognized and adhered to the party line without publicly supporting the right of return.
Initially, many Crimean Tatars found it difficult to believe that members of their community had willingly signed the letter. However, over time, the authenticity of the signatures was no longer questioned, and it became apparent how the government had attempted to use certain Crimean Tatars against their own people. The Crimean Tatar civil rights activist Yuri Osmanov referred to it as the "letter of national traitors."[1]
Decades later, after Crimean Tatars were granted the right to return to Crimea, the letter was republished in the newspaper Avdet on 15 March 1991, accompanied by commentary urging individuals not to betray their community in times of hardship, as the signatories of the letter had done.