"Novaya Gazeta": criminal case against Beslan power agents will be initiated

The "Novaya Gazeta" writes today that an important event has passed unnoticed. Last Friday, on April 20, the web site of the "Beslan Mothers" Committee placed a statement of the judge from the Leninskiy Court (the city of Vladikavkaz) to recognize the refusal to initiate a criminal case against the members of the operative staff and firemen of the Ministry for Emergencies of the Republic North Ossetia-Alania to be illegal.

That is, Judge Badtiev, who had recognized last autumn also the situational examination to be illegal, has now completely deprived federal and regional power commanders and officials, who had earlier born only moral responsibility for Beslan, of their criminal immunity.

The "Caucasian Knot" informed earlier that in September 2004 a group of terrorists seized 1128 hostages at a school of North-Ossetian city of Beslan. As a result of the act of terror, 186 children and 145 adults perished, and 728 Beslan residents and 55 power agents were wounded. During the storm attack on the school building, 12 special servicemen and one local resident who tried to help to release the hostages were murdered. 31 militants who seized the school were also killed, and the only surviving terrorist later faced justice.