"Voice of Beslan" to challenge Solzhenitsyn, head of investigation

The "Voice of Beslan" committee of the Beslan terror victims' relatives is going to demand removal of Alexander Solzhenitsyn, head of the investigatory group in charge of the inquiry of the terror act.

Ella Kesaeva, the chair of the committee, asserts that Solzhenitsyn "is actually hampering the investigation." She said that the challenge application will be sent today to the Russian General Prosecutor's Office.

"He fails to react to our petitions, fails to run the investigation, ignores evidences, has failed to properly interrogate the hostages and to conduct the forensic-medical examinations," Ms Kesaeva has told.

Besides, as she said, Alexander Solzhenitsyn had himself asked to challenge him, having stated that "he would do exactly as much as he would be allowed to," the "Echo Moskvy" Radio reports.

Making comments to the statements of Alexander Torshin, vice-speaker of Council of the Federation and head of the parliamentary commission for investigating the Beslan terror act, that the body of another participant of school seizure had been identified, Ella Kesaeva said that the body had been identified half a year ago.

"There were eight unidentified bodies, now seven remain," Mr Torshin declared yesterday, on January 4.

"There are still some 'white spots' but they are gradually liquidated," the "Echo Moskvy" quotes Alexander Torshin.

MP Torshin has also noted that the report of the commission is placed in the Internet websites of the State Duma and the Council of the Federation. He has not excluded that all the materials collected by the commission, except for secret ones, will be published.