Mothers of Beslan

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Mothers of Beslan (Russian: Матери Беслана) or Beslan Mothers' Committee (Russian: Комитет матерей Беслана) is a group of parents whose children have been killed in the 2004 North Ossetian Beslan school hostage crisis wherein more than 365 were killed, half of them children.

Mothers of Beslan was created in the aftermath of the tragic hostage crises as a response to what was seen as the incompetence and excessive force used by the security services while trying to rescue the hostages. Also they are investigating negligence and corruption of the North Ossetian leadership, notably Alexander Dzasokhov, former president of North Ossetia whom they demanded resign. They are highly disparaging of Putin for allegedly covering up the circumstances of the siege. According to the Mothers of Beslan more than 50 terrorists took part in the events and many escaped, the terrorists made use of weapons and supplies that had been pre-positioned in the school, suggesting it was an inside job of a school employee or of town officials. This version of the events strongly contradicts the official narrative.

The group flew to Moscow to meet Putin on September 1, 2005.

Mothers of Beslan have demanded the moratorium on death sentences be abolished, so Nur-Pashi Kulayev, the only surviving terrorist, could be handed a just sentence.

Mothers of Beslan was created February 25, 2005 and has Susanna Dudiyeva as a chairman. The group consists of nearly 200 persons.

In September 2005 some members of Mothers of Beslan were involved in a debacle with the notorious person Grigory Grabovoy whom had promised he could resurrect their killed children for a large sum of money. The group has since denounced Grigory Grabovoy as a fraud and a charlatan^[1] and his actions as part of a drive to discredit Mothers of Beslan^[2]. Grabovoy was indicted of fraudulence in April 2006.

About 30 members of Mothers of Beslan headed by Ella Kesayeva has formed another group, Voice of Beslan.