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December 28, 2005
Russia: Politicians Told Beslan Massacre Could Have Been Prevented
The blame game will not get Russia anywhere. Muslim murderers, and only muslim murderers, were responsible for Beslan. Russia cannot afford the comforting belief its enemies are weak and powerless: Beslan massacre 'could have been prevented'
The Beslan school massacre which left hundreds dead, including 186 children, could have been averted if government warnings had been heeded, Russian politicians were told today.Alexander Torshin, head of a Russian parliamentary commission investigating last year's Beslan school tragedy, in which 331 people died, said that if orders had been followed, the deaths could have been prevented.
The crisis erupted on September 1, 2004 when Chechen rebels seized a primary school in the southern Russian city of Beslan, taking more than 1,000 people including hundreds of students and their parents arriving for the first day of school hostage.
A tense stand-off ended three days later after an explosion in the school triggered a fierce firefight between security forces and dozens of hostage-takers, causing huge numbers of casualties. Thirty-one hostage takers also died in the violence.
Responsibility for the attack on the school was claimed by Chechen rebel leader Shamil Basayev, but families of the victims have said that authorities at all levels of government and law enforcement bear a large share of blame for the tragedy due to incompetence.[...]
Posted by Ruy Diaz at December 28, 2005 12:20 PM
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