Committee investigating Beslan crisis sums up first results

Some people have not found their loved ones yet

The parliamentary committee investigating the reasons of the terrorist act in Beslan summarized the first stage of its work. Members of the committee met chairmen of the two houses of the Russian parliament, Boris Gryzlov and Sergey Mironov. The chairman of the committee, Alexander Torshin, reported several details of the investigation.

Torshin confirmed the previously distributed information, which said that some of the terrorists in the criminal group had been convicted and released before. The official also said that the committee had to deal with a number of difficulties in its work. Despite special invitations, several top officials, including the commander of the 58th army, did not come to a session of the committee in Vladikavkaz. The generals sent their deputies instead, but the committee refused to work with them.

One of the committee members, Arkady Baskaev, told reporters about his impressions of working in Beslan. “The situation in Beslan is not simple. Some people have not found their loved ones yet, and they are experiencing the hardest situation of all now. We talked to many of them – it seemed to me that they have cried all of their tears out. Relatives and friends of the victims still come to the school,” Baskaev said.

Arkady Baskaev added that 586 million rubles had been transferred to the victims of the hostage crisis. “The process to open personal accounts is drawing to its end. The people start receiving money, albeit it is not much yet. This is the money from the republic and the government,” said he.

The committee continues its work. Members of the committee are to visit the republics of Chechnya and Ingushetia within the scope of the investigation.

Kirill Kamensky