Criminal case against “Voice of Beslan”

Well-known Russian human rights defenders adressed to Vladimir Lukin, Ombudsman in the Russian Federation, and Ella Pamfilova, Chairwoman of the Civil Society Institution and Human Rights Council of the Russian Federation, with an appeal to express their protest on the fact of prosecutors of Nazran (Ingushetiya) had opened a criminal investigation into the NGO “Voice of Beslan” on charge of extremism. (16-JAN-08)

Written by Inna Komar/Human Rights House, Moscow
Sources: http://www.hro.org, http://www.golosbeslana.ru,  http://www.lenta.ru, http://www.examiner.com

Backgound
All-Russian public organization of people, suffered from acts of terrorism “Voice of Beslan” has been created on 25 September, 2005 on general meeting of members of the organisation. It was established after the Beslan tragedy on 1 September, 2004, when terrorists grasped a school. More than 365 people were killed (half of them were children). The organization blames President Vladimir Putin in 2004 massacre.

9 – 19 February, 2006 six members of “Voice of Beslan” held a 10-day hunger strike to draw attention to their claims that authorities were covering up the truth about the Beslan attack. On December 2007 the organization was liquidated by the decision of the Supreme court of the Northern Osetia on the basis of the claim statement from other public organization with the same name. However after giving of the supervising complaint, the Supreme Court of republic has suspended its decision coming into force.

9 January 2008 prosecutors of Nazran (Ingushetiya) opened a criminal case against it on charge of posting extremist materials on its web-site. As we know, last year in the Russian Federation was passed a new law on extremism. If the court of Nazran recognizes the organization guilty, it would be shut down. The “extremist” materials were published on the web-site of “Voice of Beslan” in 2005, where was said that “”the world political elite supports our president who became the guarantor for criminals”. This statement the Office of Public Prosecutor of Nazran estameted as “obviously false charge” of Putin in aiding terrorism.

Support to “Voice of Beslan”
Well-known Russian human rights defenders adressed to Vladimir Lukin, Ombudsman in the Russian Federation, and Ella Pamfilova, Chairwoman of the Civil Society Institution and Human Rights Council of the Russian Federation, with an appeal to express their protest on the fact of prosecutors of Nazran (Ingushetiya) had opened a criminal investigation into the NGO “Voice of Beslan” on charge of extremism. They are convinced, that such measures return us to the times of prosecutions for anti-Soviet statements and consider these actions of Office of Public Prosecutor of republic Ingushetiya as demonstration o f the state extremism, which would obviously provoke a new coil of international enmity.

Ukranian human rights defenders have initiated carrying out of the international campaign in support of pursued organization. You can write a simple message of solidarity to “Voice of Beslan” at golosbeslana@mail.ru. Tell them that you support their efforts to learn the truth and that seeking the truth does not constitute extremism in any free country.

Its support has also expressed the Irish human rights organization “Front Line Defenders”. They demand to take all possible measures to guarantee physical and psychological secure for the members of “Voice of Beslan”.