08:12, 4 September 2018

Russian president ignores the anniversary of Beslan terror act

Beslan School No. 1. September 3, 2018. Photo by Emma Marzoeva for the "Caucasian Knot"

The commemorations of the victims of the terror act in Beslan were held in Moscow and other Russian cities. President Vladimir Putin had no plans to take part in any of them on September 1-3.

On September 1, 2004, terrorists captured 1128 hostages at Beslan School No. 1. The operation to release them was over on September 3: 334 people perished, including 186 children. The day of the end of the operation was declared in Russia as the Solidarity Day in the Fight on Terrorism.

The commemorations in Moscow were attended by state officials, participants of the operation to free the hostages, and activists. They laid flowers and toys to the monument "In Memory of Victims of Beslan Tragedy" and sent 334 white balloons into the sky, the "Interfax" has reported.

Muscovites also come to pay tribute to casualties in the Beslan school to places of other major terror acts committed in Moscow in different years – the Dubrovka Theatrical Centre, the Pushkin Square underpass, the exploded residential buildings on Kashira Highway and Guryanov Street, the Radio Liberty reports.

On September 1, 2016, women-activists of the "Voice of Beslan" – hostages and mothers of perished children – held a protest rally wearing T-shirts with inscriptions accusing Putin. Policemen used force to detain them; and courts imposed fines and punished with public works. The authorities are trying to hide the circumstances of the tragedy and erase the terror act from people's memory, activists of the "Voice of Beslan" believe.

This article was originally published on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’ on September 3, 2018 at 04:28 pm MSK. To access the full text of the article, click here.