Your Government Doesn't Need You, and We Need You Even Less
// Victims of the terrorist act testify in court
The Kulaev Trial
Yesterday in the Supreme Court of North Ossetia, where the trial of Nurpasha Kulaev is underway, victims of the terrorist act in Beslan gave their first testimony on what accused did during these events. The most dramatic of all was the testimony of Larisa Mamitova, through whom the terrorists transmitted their demands to the authorities and negotiated with Teimuraz Mamsurov, then chairman of the North Ossetian parliament and now president of the republic.
Former hostage Ella Dzarasova, whose nephew was killed in the school, said, pointing at Kulaev, that he had been the most shameless of the terrorists.
“When they were taking the men away, he picked them. And now he's showing himself as a decent person.”
“Was he armed?” Judge Tamerlan Aguzarov asked.
“With a pistol,” she answered. “He fired shots in the air and shouted. He forced my son Kazbek to throw bodies out the window.”
Natalya Salamova, whose daughter Alena was killed, responded to the prosecutor's question about what punishment the accused deserved by saying “I”d like them to take him to the first school and hand him over to the mothers to be torn apart! I heard him beating women and children with his pistol butt.”
Victim Lyudmila Khadzaragova said she had no material claims against Nurpasha Kulaev.
“He has two children. Let them at least be happy.”
Lyudmila's son died in the school, and her daughter was seriously injured.
”You know what's waiting for you,” the former hostage said to the accused. “At least cleanse your soul in front of our children. Tell the whole truth.”
Victim Larisa Mamitova gave a detailed account of the events of September 1 to 3. After duty at emergency, she took her son Tamik to school and ended up as a hostage along with him. Then one of the terrorists entered the gym and asked if there was a doctor among the hostages. Larisa got up, and they took her into the hallway, where there were three wounded terrorists. She gave them first aid.
“I asked them if they had any demands, and they replied that they had only one demand – withdraw the troops from Chechya.
Mamitova talked about how she persuaded the terrorists to state their demands and she would transmit them outside.
“They took me to the second floor – the main floor,” she continued. “The Colonel was there. He gave me a notebook and pen and started dictating. There was a demand to withdraw the troops from Chechnya and another to bring Dzasokhov [then President of North Ossetia Aleksandr Dzasokhov], Ziazikov [President of Ingushetia Murat Ziazikov], Aslakhanov [advisor to the Russian president Aslanbek Aslakhanov], and Roshal [head of the Institute of Children's Emergency Surgery and Traumatology Leonid Roshal]. And further that they would shoot 20 children for each wounded fighter and 50 for each fighter killed. Then they released me from the school. I went out and shouted for them to come and take the note; there was a telephone number on it for communicating with the terrorists. Some guy in a white T-shirt took the note. I told him there were nearly 1000 hostages and went back to the gym.”
In the evening, the terrorists gave Mamitova a bag of Snickers bars, dates, and raisons, and ordered her to give them to the youngest children. She asked if anyone had contacted them.
“They said Who needs you?' The Colonel also said that if they showed the troops withdrawing from Chechnya on TV, they would immediately release everyone. At two o'clock in the morning, they broadcast on the radio that there were 354 hostages and that the telephone number in the note was blocked. Then I asked the Colonel to dictate another note with a new telephone number. He said,” Our nerves are at the breaking point.' I went out again and started to shout for them to take the note. A guy ran up, and I told him there were almost 1300 hostages and to call immediately.
After returning to the school, Mamitova realized from the terrorists behavior that someone had contacted them.
“The Colonel then said that the two blown-up planes were their work and asked me, You know why our women sacrifice themselves like that?'….At three o'clock they wouldn't even allow the dying children to be taken out into the hallway. They said “Even your government doesn't need you, and we need you even less.' Then I found Teimuraz Mamsurov's children [then chairman of the North Ossetian parliament] and permission to phone their father. The Colonel agreed. Mamsurov talked with his son and then told me that no one saw him as an authority figure. They told me to keep my parental emotions to myself.' I gave Mamusrov the telephone number of the school and asked him to call Dzasokhov within ten minutes. He said he would pass on the message, but Dzasokhov never called back.”
Later, Mamsurov maintained that, during this conversation, he gave Mamitova the telephone number of Dzasokhov' s receptionist, since the president had gone out somewhere, but the hostages were unable to phone from the school to Vladikavkaz through the city system.
At the time of the assault, Mamitova was in the gym. She shouted to the special forces that there were only two hostages there, and they didn't need to shoot, but the assualt continued.
When Mamitova finished speaking Kulaev said, “I remember you. You bandaged up the wounded. I was sitting in the cafeteria at the time. I saw you you and the Colonel were talking I saw you."
Kommersant will continue to follow the proceedings.
Zaur Farniev, Vladikavkaz
All the Article in Russian as of June 17, 2005
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