Representative of the Republic of North Ossetia in the Federation Council Alexander Dzasokhov at a session of the Supreme Court of North Ossetia
Photo: Zaur Farniyev
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Dzasokhov Testifies in Beslan Case
// The Kulaev case
Alexander Dzasokhov, former president of North Ossetia and now member of the Federation Republic, testified yesterday at the trial of Nurpasha Kulaev, the lone surviving terrorist from School No. 1 in Beslan. Two busses full of victims arrived in Vladikavkaz on that day instead of the usual one to see his long-awaited court appearance. Extra security was out as well. Although the victims consider him on of those guilty for what happened in Beslan on September 1-3, 2004, the situational investigation carried out by the Prosecutor General's Office determined that no officials were to blame for the deaths, so he can testify without fear of legal ramifications for himself.
The Beslan mother hoped that he would thus admit his negligence in court, but he only hinted that those “who did not fully fulfill their obligations” shared the responsibility with the terrorists. The former president of the republic testifies that there had been a heightened risk of terrorist attack “all the last 10-12 years,” mentioning developments in neighboring Ingushetia in that regard. He defended North Ossetian police, again at the expense of Ingushetian police, saying that no one had exact information that there was an attack on Beslan being planned.
Dzasokhov said that he was unable to go to the school to negotiate with the terrorists, in spite of the fact that both the terrorists and people of Beslan were waiting for him, because head of the main department of the Interior Ministry for the Southern Federal District Gen. Mikhail Pankov threatened to arrest him attempted to approach the school. Kulaev testified that The Colonel, as the leader of the terrorists was known, would have released 150 people each in exchange for Dzasokhov and several other figures they wanted to approach as a delegation, and did not intend to harm them. When asked about the announcement that there were 354 hostages, an underestimate that the terrorists reacted badly to, Dzasokhov said that he ordered the head of the district to determine the number of hostages but “it would be silly to think that the people of Beslan were able to run and put their names on a list. I don't think there was any evil intent in that.”
Zaur Farniev
All the Article in Russian as of Jan. 13, 2006
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