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Mothers of Beslan (Russian: Матери Беслана) or Beslan Mothers' Committee (Russian: Комитет матерей Беслана) is a support and advocacy group of parents whose children were among the more than 1128 victims of the 2004 Beslan school hostage crisis in North Ossetia–Alania. The group is led by chairwoman Susanna Dudiyeva and as of 2006 has nearly 200 members. Marina Litvinovich, who helped to create the Mothers, runs the website.

History

Mothers of Beslan was created February 25, 2005, in the aftermath of the hostage crisis as a response to what was seen as the incompetence and excessive force used by the security services during the rescue attempt. They are also investigating negligence and corruption of the North Ossetian leadership, notably the former president Alexander Dzasokhov, whose resignation was demanded by the group.

They are highly critical of the President of Russia Vladimir Putin for allegedly covering up the circumstances of the siege. According to the Mothers of Beslan the terrorists made use of weapons and supplies that had been pre-positioned in the school, suggesting it was an inside job by school employees or town officials. This version of the events strongly contradicts the official narrative. The group met with Putin in Moscow on September 1, 2005.

In 2005, about 30 members of Mothers of Beslan, led by Ella Kesayev, split to form a second group, the Voice of Beslan.

In September 2005, some members of Mothers of Beslan, including Dudiyeva, were involved in a debacle with the self-proclaimed healer and miracle-maker Grigory Grabovoy, who had promised he could resurrect their murdered children for a large sum of money. The group subsequently denounced Grabovoy as a fraud and a charlatan, and asserted that his actions were part of a campaign to discredit Mothers of Beslan. Grabovoy was officially indicted of fraud in April 2006. A group of parents left the organization, with some forming Voice of Beslan.

In July 2007, the Mothers of Beslan asked the FSB to declassify video and audio archives on Beslan, saying there should be no secrets in the investigation. with no response to the request. That month, the Mothers organization released a video tape that they had received anonymously, claiming that it proves Russian security forces started the massacre by firing rocket grenades on the besieged building. The film, apparently showing the prosecutors and military experts discussing the militant bombs and structural damage in the school in Beslan, had been kept secret by the authorities for nearly three years, until released by the Mothers, on September 4, 2007.

In September 2007, Taimuraz Chedzhemov, the lawyer representing the group in seeking to prosecute Russian officials over the massacre response, said he had pulled out of the case after receiving a death threat.

See also

• Union of the Committees of Soldiers' Mothers of Russia
• Voice of Beslan

References

1. Beslan mothers trust Putin, demand Dzasokhov's head Archived 2007-09-30 at the Wayback Machine, Eurasia Daily Monitor, February 24, 2005. Last accessed July 18, 2006
2. Mothers of Beslan condemn 'cover-up', The Telegraph, December 29, 2005. Last accessed July 18, 2006
3. Putin meets angry Beslan mothers, BBC News, September 2, 2005. Last accessed July 18, 2006
4. Cult Leader Takes Heat Off Kremlin, The Moscow Times, September 28, 2005
5. "Grabovoy: Mothers of Beslan Appeal". translation (in Russian). September 12, 2005. Archived from the original on October 13, 2006. Retrieved 2006-08-06. {{cite news}}: External link in |work= (help)
6. "Beslan Mothers Accuse Russian Authorities of Discrediting Campaign for Justice". Mosnews. September 23, 2005. Archived from the original on November 21, 2005. Retrieved 2006-08-06.
7. Sectary Grabovoy, who promised to resurrect children of Beslan, has "assisted" the prosecutor's office in affirming the official version of events, Newsru, October 10, 2005. Machine-translated by www.online-translator.com. Last accessed August 5, 2006.
8. Toal, Gerard (as Gearóid Ó Tuathail) (Virginia Tech School of Public and International Affairs). "Placing blame: Making sense of Beslan." Political Geography 28 (2009) 4–15. Alt link - CITED: p. 13 (PDF p. 10/12)
9. "Beslan Mothers" ask FSB to declassify video and audio archives on Beslan Archived 2008-02-13 at the Wayback Machine, Memorial, July 27, 2007
10. No answer from FSB to request of "Beslan Mothers" to declassify the video archive of the tragedy, Memorial, August 14, 2007
11. Beslan Mothers Say New Video Refutes Official Version, RFE/RL, July 30, 2007
12. Video Reopens Debate Over Beslan Attack, The Guardian, July 31, 2007
13. Beslan Mothers Release a Film, The Moscow Times, September 4, 2007
14. "Mothers of Beslan dead reject Kremlin promise". Reuters.

External links

• Mothers of Beslan homepage
• Mothers of Beslan homepage (in Russian)
• Pravda Beslana (Truth of Beslan) (in Russian)

• Beslan school siege
• Political advocacy groups in Russia
• Russian political activists
• Organizations established in 2005
• 2005 establishments in Russia