Victims file appeal against Beslan verdict

A group of survivors and relatives of victims of the 2004 raid on a school in the southern Russian town of Beslan filed a preliminary appeal against last week’s verdict in the trial of the only known suspect left alive, saying the court ignored conflicting evidence about the attack and the government response.

Voice of Beslan, an activist group that has accused officials of covering up facts about the ordeal and lying in the investigation and trial, said the appeal was filed to the Russian Supreme Court via the Supreme Court in North Ossetia, where the attack took place and the trial of Nur-Pashi Kulayev was held.

The purpose of the appeal is apparently not to exonerate Kulayev, who was found guilty of terrorism and murder and sentenced to life in prison, but to force authorities to release more information and investigate further.

The attack resulted in the deaths of 331 people, more than half of them children, as well as 31 suspected militants and 11 elite special forces soldiers. Most victims died when explosions tore through the school and security forces stormed the building.

Survivors and victims’ relatives claim many deaths occurred because troops fired at the school from tanks and flame-throwers, setting off a fire that caused the roof to collapse over many wounded people. Voice of Beslan places a large portion of blame on the government.

The appeal claims that the court “did not take into account testimony of victims and witnesses about the circumstances of the death of hostages” and that it based its decision on only partial evidence, ignoring contradictory evidence.

The group intends to file a full appeal after receiving the text of the verdict, Voice of Beslan said.