Mothers of Beslan

Mothers of Beslan (Russian: Матери Беслана) or Beslan Mothers' Committee (Russian: Комитет матерей Беслана) is a support and advocacy group of parents whose children were among the more than 365 victims of the 2004 Beslan school hostage crisis in North Ossetia–Alania. The group is led by chairwoman Susanna Dudiyeva and as of 2006^[update] has nearly 200 members. Marina Litvinovich, who helped to create the Mothers, runs the website http://www.pravdabeslana.ru/.

Mothers of Beslan was created February 25, 2005, in the aftermath of the hostage crisis as a response to what was seen as the incompetence and excessive force used by the security services during the rescue attempt. They are also investigating negligence and corruption of the North Ossetian leadership, notably the former president Alexander Dzasokhov, whose resignation was demanded by the group.

They are highly critical of the President of Russia Vladimir Putin for allegedly covering up the circumstances of the siege. According to the Mothers of Beslan the terrorists made use of weapons and supplies that had been pre-positioned in the school, suggesting it was an inside job by school employees or town officials. This version of the events strongly contradicts the official narrative. The group met with Putin in Moscow on September 1, 2005.

In 2005, roughly 30 members of Mothers of Beslan headed by Ella Kesayeva split to form a second group, the Voice of Beslan.

...
Wikipedia