Beslan Voice challenges federal officials

Leaders of the Beslan Voice public organisation which split from the Beslan Mothers Committee a while ago have prepared a statement to paediatrician Leonid Roshal and some federal officials, including generals Tikhonov, Anisimov, Pronichev, and others, in which they demand that they come to the Supreme Court of North Ossetia and give evidence as part of the Kulayev case.

Beslan Voice Chairwoman Ella Kesayeva has more than once submitted similar petitions to Supreme Justice Tamerlan Aguzarov who hears the case. Yet it has repeatedly been turned down because the above-mentioned persons are unrelated to the case and their evidence cannot clarify anything in establishing the guilt and responsibility of the defendant. Meanwhile, the organisation and its leader Ella Kesayeva in particular continue to insist.

"We hereby address the well-known public figure, paediatrician Leonid Roshal. You were the eyewitness of the operating headquarters' work. You contacted the terrorists repeatedly. We ask you to act like a citizen should. We ask you to come and give evidence that can influence the objective investigation of the tragedy. We are looking forward to seeing you at the trial and we need your help," the statement says.

The organisation next addresses security agencies: General Tikhonov and his advisers Federal Security Service generals Anisimov, Pronichev, and Pankov. Beslan Voice demands that the FSS generals explain: why their children and relatives burnt down and why flame-throwers and tanks were used. "Give evidence about your actions. You should understand that you are responsible. What advice did you give?"

The statement mentions that the victims do not forget that terrorists captured the school, that they tortured children, gave no water, and killed men. "But they presented some demands. And you, generals Anisimov, Pronichev, and Pankov, knew from the beginning that their demands would not be fulfilled. This means you doomed our children to die. Irresponsibility, incompetence, and treachery of generals were paid with the lives of our children," the statement emphasises.

Beslan Voice has called the security agency representatives to prove their innocence in court if those allegations are baseless. "Disprove our accusations and you will not remain black generals in the history of the Beslan tragedy."

The leaders of Beslan Voice have also reminded Messrs Fridinskii and Shoigu, the former deputy prosecutor general for the South federal district and emergencies minister respectively, that they "also have something to say." In particular, the victims would like to know who gave permission to remove fragments of the killed people's bodies to the land fill on 4 September.

Besides, the "information censors of those days" are also welcome at the trial: Messrs Vasiliev (deputy director of the Vesti programme), Gromov (a member of the presidential administration), and Peskov (deputy press secretary for the Russian president). "This was under your control that the figure of 354 hostages was given by all the media. Come to the trial and give evidence."

Meanwhile, the prosecution explains that such a petition is unrelated to the Kulayev case which is why it is turned down. Attendance of the above-mentioned officials at the trial would be senseless. Their evidence is important for the main case of the terrorist act in Beslan which is at the investigation stage.

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