Beslan Mothers dissatisfied with parliamentary report

The North Ossetian parliamentary commission for investigation into the Beslan hostage-taking in September 2004 delivered a report on its work earlier today. The report was delivered by Mr Stanislav Kesayev, chairman of the commission and deputy speaker of the parliament of North Ossetia.

Mr Kesayev said that the report did not contain any restricted information, but he confirmed that the document asked more questions than it gave answers and those questions concerned the onslaught on the school and decisions made by the operations headquarters.

At the beginning of his report, the head of the commission said that its main task was only to reveal the circumstances of hostages' death. "The daughter of a member of our parliament, Budayev, died in Beslan. Her death certificate reads 'burnt alive.' And I am told to see more good than harm in the actions of our law enforcement and security agencies. But my conscience does not allow me to do so."

Most conclusions made by the commission are based on audio and video materials and other documents, according to the speaker.

"No doubt, the school seizure is first of all due to not too perfect performance of law enforcement agencies," Mr Kesayev said. "This includes the fact that quite a few armed people get to a large railway and aircraft centre, which Beslan is, unnoticed, he remarked.

The commission also established the fact of use of grenade launchers, flame throwers and tank fire during the onslaught in early September 2004. The report indicates the contradictory nature of information provided by law enforcement and security agencies as regards their actions on 3 September 2004.

In the commission's opinion, the idea of a shot from the outside that could serve as the beginning of the onslaught on the school may be realistic. However, it has no evidence to prove that, according to the deputy speaker of the republican parliament. Meanwhile, Beslan Mothers are convinced that a shot from the direction of the federal forces encircling the school was the reason for the onslaught at 1.03 p.m. on 3 September.

However, Mr Kesayev also said that the information the commission had collected did not allow it to be positive about the accidental nature of the explosion in the school.

When the report was over, Beslan Mothers Chairwoman Ella Kesayev told Caucasian Knot's correspondent that the report was "smoothed very much."

• Minister's evidence fails to shed light

External links

• Beslan.ru

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