Parents of children lost in "Nord-Ost" accuse Russian authorities

After the mourning ceremony held in memory of the victims of the terror act at the Dubrovka Theatrical Centre in Moscow, about five hundred persons took part in a peaceful meeting. The parents of "Nord-Ost" and Beslan victims placed responsibility for death of children on Russian authorities.

Ella Kesaeva, co-chair of the "Voice of Beslan" Committee, when speaking at the House of Culture in Melnikova Street, where the delegation of the Committee specially arrived for taking part in the today's mourning events, has expressed her confidence that sooner or later the people who are responsible for execution of schoolchildren in Beslan, and those who fed gas into the hall full of people, will be made responsible for their actions.

The leader of the "Voice of Beslan" thinks that acts of terrorism are possible in any country, but nowhere the authorities themselves kill hostages and decorate those who do with government awards.

We note here that meeting was of non-political character. Among its participants there were former hostages, relatives of the victims, people who suffered from terror act in other cities, human rights activists and politicians, journalists, Moscow schoolchildren and ordinary citizens.

Tatiana Karpova has thanked everyone who came "to share the grief with them in this square, near this mass grave." She also thanked all the hostages for the courage that they had revealed 5 years ago and the fighters of the Ministry for Emergencies, "Alpha" and the "Vympel" special regiments, who helped to rescue the hostages.

The action in memory of the victims of the terror act in Dubrovka Theatrical Centre was also held today in Rostov-on-Don.

For reference: five years ago a group of militants under command of Movsar Baraev, 23, seized the spectators and actors of the musical "Nord-Ost", 923 persons in total. In exchange for lives of the hostages, the fighters of Baraev grouping demanded immediate ceasefire and withdrawal of federal troops from the territory of Chechnya. The militants' demands were ignored and on October 26, 2002, the authorities launched a storm of the building. According to different sources, from 125 to 130 persons were lost, 700 more were injured. Most of the casualties were the result of a failure to render timely medical aid after application of special gas, the chemical composition of which is still unknown. All the 40 terrorists (21 men and 19 women) were killed during the storm.

There are people inclined to think the Dubrovka events to be a pre-planned operation of special agencies.