A very grim depiction of not only the siege of beslan school no. Please note that the content of this book primarily consists of articles available from wikipedia or other free sources online. Prior to the beslan attack, the only largescale school based mass hostage situation occurred in israel, where in 1975 three terrorists from the popular democratic front for. Russia sep 1 armed gang seizes school children as hostages. Targeting children, they took more than eleven hundred hostages. The beslan school siege also referred to as the beslan school hostage crisis or beslan massacre started on 1 september 2004, lasted three days, involved the illegal imprisonment of over 1,100 people as hostages including 777 children, and ended with the deaths of at least 334 people. The beslan school siege a decade on soldier systems daily. Ten years ago today muslim chechen separatists occupied school number one sno in the town of beslan, north ossetia which is an autonomous republic in the north caucasus region of the russian federation. Do you remember watching news coverage of the beslan school siege. Today life in beslan shows some signs of normality. The author does a great job of breaking apart the chronology of events involving the siege with his own firstperson experiences as he. They held 1,100 peopleschoolchildren and their familieshostage for three days in a packed gymnasium. However, closer examination of the incident indicates that a number of mistakes were made in possibly preventing, and certainly in responding to, the crisis.
It took place in a small town called beslan, located in northern ossetia. Ten years after the beslan school siege, photographer diana markosian made these remarkable photographs of former hostages at the site where. Susanna dudiyeva, 44, whose son died in the school seizure, heads the beslan mothers committee, which has criticized regional and federal. One spokesman for the chechen independence cause stated, such a bigger blow could not be dealt upon us. According to the early official version, one of the bombs had been insecurely attached with adhesive tape, falling and then exploding. Theory voiced, among others, by aslambek aslakhanov and ruslan aushev claims that the cause of the firing and the subsequent storming of the school had been an accidental explosion. I did a quick read to try and draw a conclusion for you. T he beslan school siege came to an end 1,000 days ago last week. Twelve years since heinous beslan school hostage crisis in. The beslan school siege started on 1 september 2004, lasted three days, involved the illegal imprisonment of over 1,100 people as hostages, and ended with the deaths of at least 334 people.
In early september 2004, a hostage crisis in beslan resulted in the death of at least 386 children, adults, rescuers and hostage takers in what became known as. Beslan school hostage crisis the russian republic of north ossetiaalania is home to many russian military bases, and a major city there is beslan population approximately 35,000. Russia school siege ends in carnage, the washington post, saturday, september 4, 2004. The film examines the background to the events of beslan.
The crisis began when a group of armed islamic militants, mostly ingush and chechen, occupied school number one in the town of beslan, north ossetia on 1 september 2004. Discover delightful childrens books with prime book box, a subscription that delivers new. Peter baker, susan glasser, thank you very much for joining us on wide angle. It also looks at the russian states reaction to the atrocity and the motivation of the hostagetakers.
The story at the beslan school is beyond heartbreaking and this book masterfully covers all areas of that tragic story that took the lives of so many innocent children for nothing more than political and religious extremism. Beslan school attack, violent takeover of a school in beslan, a city in the north caucasus republic of north ossetia, russia, in september 2004. Andrey kurkov is impressed by timothy phillipss beslan, an attempt to understand the horrors of the tragic russian school siege. When the first shots fired, 11yearold zarina albegaeva mistook them for fireworks. Analysis of the hostage handling royal united institute for defence and security studies sep 2004 bbc news. On september 3, 2004 a threeday hostage siege at a school in beslan, russia, ended in bloody chaos after chechen militants set off bombs and. Warning thread exclusive footage of the tragedy in beslan. European court faults russias handling of 2004 beslan. Vladimir putin, shamil basayev, russian government censorship of chechnya coverage, timeline of the beslan school hostage crisis, alpha group, voice of beslan, international response to the beslan hostage crisis, grigory grabovoy, riyadus.
The russian parliamentary commission said the prochechen gunmen who seized the school included a bodyguard of the late chechen warlord shamil basayev. The school siege, in the town of beslan in north ossetia, a part of the north caucasus region in russia, began around 9 a. Account of the beslan school attack, a terrorist incident in the north caucasus that claimed the. Peter baker and susan glasser of the washington post discuss the siege of beslan with anchor bill moyers.
Two days later, about 330 hostages were dead, more than half of them children. Russia could have done more to prevent beslan school siege, court finds. The scale of the violence at beslan and, in particular, the fact. Thus, it would seem that the fallout from the beslan school massacre is still spreading even more than a decade later and thousands of miles away. Beslan school siege state forces blamed over bcslan electronic versionbeslan tragedy. While not for everyone, this book is a very interesting study of the events at beslan and the participants of that incident. And in the last five years beslan has enjoyed a baby boom, including 50 children born into families affected by the attack. Beslan school hostage crisis criminal justice iresearchnet.
Beslan school siege project gutenberg selfpublishing. Beslan school siege also documents how a small town is coming to terms with the loss of its children. On the third day of the standoff, russian security forces stormed the building using tanks, thermobaric rockets and other. It tells the complete and accurate story of the beslan school siege that occurred in russia on september 1, 2004. House of meetings, by martin amis, references this massacre several times, in part to show how deeply. Suspect in beslan school siege goes on trial world news. The beslan hostage crisis in september 2004 deeply impacted the russian psyche. The militants went their to kill young school children whatever the outcome and they succeeded. The beslan school siege also referred to as the beslan school hostage crisis or beslan massacre 2 3 4 started on 1 september 2004, lasted three days and involved the capture of over 1,100 people as hostages including 777 children, 5 ending with the death of 385 people. Julia roberts narrates the gripping account of the hostage crisis 10 years ago in a small russian town where chechen terrorists seized a school and killed over 330.
Troubling questions remain about bloody beslan siege. Analysis of the beslan massacre einternational relations. Chechen terrorist leader samil basayev has claimed responsibility for several recent terrorist attacks in russia, including a school hostage siege. The beslan school siege in september 2004 killed at least 331 people, many of them children. But more than just the story, this book highlights the lessons americas school system. On the first day of school in 2004, a chechen terrorist group struck the russian town of beslan. Diana markosian introduces her intimate project revisiting the town of beslan 10 years after the siege of 2004. The article describes a case of political violence known as beslan massacre or school siege, when the festive beginning of the new school year turned into a massacre. Perpetrated by militants linked to the separatist insurgency in the nearby republic of chechnya, the attack resulted in the deaths of more than 330 people, the majority of them children. He also earned a master s degree in international affairs, specializing in russian studies, from the university of colorado, which included completion of the russian culture and language program at st. September 1 marked the fouryear anniversary of that awful day when chechen terrorists stormed middle school no. The complete and accurate story of the beslan school siege that occurred in russia on september 1, 2004. The siege ended on september 3 with a bloody shootout between the terrorists and the russian security forces. The lessons to be learned from beslan transcend the specific incident and should be considered in.
From what i read the fact that local miltia who were fathers, husbands, family and concerned citizens to be there is one of the issues in which some reports stated they fired when the milita. A russian tragedy with lessons for americas schools. The beslan school siege started on 1 september 2004, lasted three days, involved the illegal. The beslan school siege began when 30 separatist gunmen took more than 1,100 hostages in school number one in september 2004. The beslan hostage crisis 23 the importance of the case study approach matis hostagetaking in schools is an extremely rare event. Russia failed to prevent a 2004 attack on a school in the town of beslan and then overreacted by using grenades, tanks and flamethrowers to end a. On september 1, 2004, terrorists seized school number one in russias north ossetian city of beslan, taking more than a thousand people hostage. Thursday marks 12 years since the beslan school siege, in which islamic extremists captured more than 1,100 people, most of them children, in the southern russian. Author john giduck has a bachelor s degree from penn state and a law degree from the university of denver.
In her book female suicide bombers, rosemarie skaine provides further insight. This book tells the untold story about the victims, the soldiers who were there and the history of the events leading up to the tragic incident. Prior to the beslan attack, the only largescale schoolbased mass hostage situation occurred in israel, where in 1975 three terrorists from the popular democratic front for. By clicking on continue you confirm that you are 18 years and over. Phillips stated that residents of beslan initially had a negative attitude towards him as they did towards other journalists, but that their attitudes improved. But three days after the siege was broken, many fundamen. The tragedy of school no 1 is a 2008 book written by timothy tim phillips and published by granta books.
Ten years after beslan school siege, survivors struggle to make a. The european court of human rights has ruled that russia failed to protect the hostages of the beslan school siege in which about 330 people died in. The beslan school hostage crisis began when a group of armed muslim terrorists, demanding an end to the second chechen war, took more than 1,100 people including some 777 children hostage on september 1, 2004 at a school in the town of beslan, north ossetiaalania. The hostagetakers were the riyadus saliheen, sent by the chechen warlord shamil basayev, who demanded russian withdrawal and recognition o. People gather in the gym of school 1 to commemorate the victims of. It discusses the beslan school siege of 2004 this was phillipss first book. For the survivors and the families of the 330 dead every one of those days has brought difficult memories which have had to be. Russia could have done more to prevent beslan school siege. Serious failings by russia in deadly beslan school siege. Many of the hostages began fainting as a result of. Report questions events of beslan school siege a new report on the beslan school seizure contradicts an earlier account.