Over hundred came in Moscow to commemorate "Nord-Ost" victims

Today, ten years after the terror act in the Dubrovka Theatrical Centre, an action was held in memory of the perished hostages, which brought together over a hundred people. The participants have noted that through all this time they were unable to learn all the circumstances of the tragedy, and failed to fix a dialogue with Russian authorities.

On October 23, 2002, in Moscow, during the premiere of the musical "Nord-Ost" armed militants led by Movsar Baraev took 916 spectators as hostages. After nearly three days, security forces undertook an operation to liberate them, which claimed, according to official figures, 130 human lives; and more than 700 more persons were injured. 40 militants were killed.

The first floor at the memorial rally was given to Tatiana Karpova, a co-chair of the regional public organization "Nord-Ost", who lost her son at Dubrovka. She recalled how negotiations with the terrorists were conducted, the Radio Liberty reports.

"We didn't hesitate to ask for help; however, our government was too shy to do what they had to. Other people with good hearts came to help us; they were Irina Khakamada, the late journalist Anna Politkovskaya, Iossif Kobzon and many others, who were ready to become hostages instead of the captured spectators and actors," she said.

"Earlier, more people used to come," said Victor Voitov, another participant of the action. "My friend died here; therefore, I'm here. Every year I come. First years were different; now, few people come – only relatives, and, most probably, nobody else," he said.

"I've come more to support those alive than to commemorate the dead. My friend's sister was here; and two classes of my teacher were sitting here. This is all that connects me to the 'Nord-Ost'. These links are quite distant; however, it's a pity that so far quite a lot remains unknown about this tragedy," said Ksenia Kuznetsova.

The former hostages, who came to the rally, said that during ten years they could not find out all the circumstances of the tragedy and failed to establish a dialogue with the Russian authorities, the "Echo Moskvy" Radio reports.

"Out of the 912 hostages, 128 persons perished: three – from bullet wounds and 125 – after the storming agents used the gas, the composition of which is still kept secret," said Alexander Cherkasov, Chairman of the Board of the Human Rights Centre (HRC) "Memorial". "The storm was being prepared from the very beginning; and negotiations with the bandits were just a shelter," the press release received by the "Caucasian Knot" quotes his words.