Beslan headquarters members interrogated

Several members of the headquarters that directed the onslaught and the subsequent release of hostages in school No 1 in Beslan on 1-3 September, 2004, were interrogated in North Ossetia's Supreme Court earlier today.

Among other witnesses at today's hearing were Sergei Goncharov, Director of the All-Russian Centre for Disaster Medicine; Alexander Soplivenko, former health minister of North Ossetia; and Alexander Tsyban, chief of the Operations Management Group at North Ossetia's Internal Affairs Ministry.

They had been among members of the operations headquarters during the Beslan school seizure. However, it turned out that they knew nothing about the activities of the headquarters. "I never attended meetings of the headquarters," said Mr Alexander Soplivenko in reply to numerous questions of the victims. Mr Taimuraz Chejemov, representative of the Beslan Mothers Committee, hailed a storm of questions upon him after such statements of the former health minister:

Taimuraz Chejemov: Was there a headquarters at all, in your opinion?

Alexander Soplivenko: I don't know.

T.C.: Then who directed your actions during the hostage-taking?

A.S.: For me, Dzasokhov (ex-president of North Ossetia — CK) was the boss as the president of the republic.

T.C.: Do you remember the figure 350 (the originally announced number of hostages — CK)?

A.S.: No, I don't, it's been a year since then, after all.

T.C.: Were talks held with the terrorists?

A.S.: Yes, but I didn't take part in them.

T.C.: Do you know what talks are at all?

A.S.: Well, Roshal told me that he had suggested the terrorists that he come in and bring water into the school, but they had said they would kill him, that they did not want him.

T.C.: What do you think the reason for such a terrorist act may be?

A.S.: One should have information to make analysis, but I don't have information.

Mr Alexander Tsyban had been responsible for blocking the gunmen during the terrorist act: "My actions were aimed at ensuring obstruction, not to let out anyone, not to open fire. We had a second encirclement." Mr Tsyban admitted though that he had not approached the school staying in the district administration buildings for three days. He also said he had learnt about the use of tanks during the onslaught only after 12.00 p.m. on the night of 4 September. "I did not give order to use weapons and no armoured personnel carrier shot."

Some victims raised the issue of terrorists running away from the scene, to which Mr Tsyban was unable to answer: "I don't have such information."

A total of nine witnesses were interrogated in the republican Supreme Court today.

• Beslan residents doubt that senior officials may be interrogated