#7
gazeta.ru
October 30, 2002
Rightists want answers after hostage crisis
By Yelena Rudneva

Over 100 hostages have died in Moscow hospitals from the gas that was used to disable the terrorists before the Nord-Ost theatre building was stormed by security services on Saturday. On Tuesday, as the first 50 victims were buried, Russian lawmakers called for a thorough parliamentary inquiry into the circumstances of the hostage crisis and its effects. The initiative by the Union of Rightist Forces (SPS) is to be examined by the lower house on Friday.

The initiative came from the SPS leadership and was endorsed by the party's political council. As an SPS faction member Boris Nadezhdin told Gazeta.Ru that the right-wingers are set to launch a Duma inquiry into the Moscow theatre siege, as well as into the elaboration and the implementation of the plan to liberate the hostages. The parliamentarians also intend to probe the lapses in security that allowed a large group of well-armed gunmen to arrive in the capital and seize a theatre building taking nearly 1000 people hostage.

On Tuesday the State Duma council agreed that the SPS proposal to launch a probe into the hostage-taking crisis would be debated in the lower house on Friday. However, according to Nadezhdin, the right-wingers are not sure that their proposal will receive the approval of the pro-Kremlin Duma majority.

Indeed, on Tuesday, representatives of the pro-Kremlin Unity and Fatherland All Russia factions harshly criticized the initiative, saying that prosecutors must be allowed to do their job and the Duma must not interfere. Some of the deputies even accused the SPS leader Boris Nemtsov of an attempt to increase his popularity rating.

If the SPS's proposal is rejected, the faction has another variant up its sleeve, which, Nadezhdin hopes, will definitely receive approval from the house majority. The right-wingers will suggest holding closed parliamentary hearings concerning the events in the Moscow theatre, seized last week by a group of Chechen rebels, who took over 800 people hostage and threatened to blow up the building unless Russia put an end to the war in Chechnya.

The right-wingers hope to invite top officials from the security agencies that took part in the hostage crisis, first and foremost, the leadership of the Federal Security Service, the Interior Ministry and the Health Ministry to parliamentary hearings that would be held behind closed doors.

At those hearings the deputies hope to receive answers to some important questions, including how such a heinous terror attack was possible in the first place, and why civilian losses were so high.

However, though the closed hearings would enable the special services to satisfy the Duma's curiosity, it would allow them to avoid public responsibility, maintain the right-wingers. Therefore, they intend to press for a public inquiry into the crisis, in order to determine who is guilty for the deaths of dozens of hostages, most of whom perished after the storming, on the steps of the theatre building, and later in hospital.

In comments for Gazeta.ru Boris Nadezhdin once again emphasized that his party was not critical of the decision to storm the building or how the operation was carried out. Earlier, SPS leader Boris Nemtsov praised the security services for having done a brilliant job.

However, the right-wingers have serious questions, the answers to which they hope to find out during the public inquiry. To that end, on Tuesday morning the party's political council announced the establishment of a public commission to investigate the circumstances of the Nord-Ost siege. The commission intends to demand answers to at least five questions:

- How a 50-strong rebel group, armed to the teeth and carrying hundreds of kilograms of explosives, could get into the centre of Moscow unimpeded and seize a theatre building, taking hundreds of people hostage?

- Why the operational headquarters, set up by the security services to handle the crisis, could not organize a normal evacuation of the building after it was freed?

- Why did the authorities conceal the use of gas during the special operation?

- Why were people dying after the siege was over, and did they get adequate medical aid?

- Why were relatives of the freed hostages not allowed to visit their loved ones in hospitals?

Judging by the information blackout maintained by Russia's security forces regarding the circumstances of the special operation and the way desperate relatives were simply denied information concerning the whereabouts of the ex-hostages, as well as the true cause of death of some of them, it seems highly unlikely that the FSB and the Interior Ministry officials will readily agree to cooperate with the commission.

At the same time the right-wingers may manage to establish some the truth, if not entirely, then at least partially.

Those who are able to help the commission in its work are kindly asked to call Moscow 946-79-15 or 946-33-56.

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