Russia marks the 20th anniversary of the Beslan school siege tragedy
Protesters, ex-pupils, traversed the school grounds with depictions of the deceased and white carnations, donning T-shirts showcasing a celestial being scribed by one of the 2004 casualties.
Rebel Chechens had nabbed over a thousand souls as captives in Beslan, including many minors. During the Russian security forces' invasion of the school on September 3, 2004, over 330 lives were lost, including 186 young ones. This hostage taking took place during the insurgency of Islamist Chechens who fought for an autonomous Chechnya, and who were labeled "terrorists" by Russian President Vladimir Putin. Criticism was heaped upon Putin and his administration in response to the hostage predicament.
Putin himself toured Beslan prior to the anniversary on August 20. The Russian president drew parallels between the current deployment of the Ukrainian army in the Russian border region of Kursk and Russia's past struggle against "terrorists" in Beslan. According to Putin, Russia now had to confront "crime perpetrators" in the Kursk region, just as it did then.
The Beslan Mothers' association voiced dissatisfaction regarding the investigation into the specifics of the hostage situation during the event's periphery. Their co-chairwoman Aneta Gadijewa shared these sentiments with the news portal "Agenztwo." This particular exchange did not find its way onto Russian television.
In 2017, the European Court of Human Rights determined that Russian authorities had engaged in "significant flaws" when handling the hostage crisis.
In March 2024, Russia was hit by a similarly calamitous act of brutality. An assault on the Crocus City Hall concert hall in a Moscow suburb led to the loss of 145 lives. The Islamic State (IS) extremist group assumed responsibility for the attack.
Other families who had lost loved ones in the Beslan tragedy expressed similar concerns to the Beslan Mothers' association about the investigation's thoroughness.In remembering the Beslan tragedy, some deemed it necessary to also acknowledge and address other instances of mass violence around the world, recognizing that other communities have faced similar tragedies.
