Mothers accuse troops

last updated 8 January 2015

Beslan, Russia

Women whose children died in the 2004 siege of an elementary school have released a film they say proves that federal troops fired on their children. More than 1,000 children and teachers were taken hostage by Chechen gunmen in Beslan, Russia, in September 2004. After two days, Russian forces stormed the school to attempt a rescue, and 334 people were killed. The Russian government insists that all the victims were killed by Chechens. But the film shows testimony from the trial of the only surviving hostage taker, including testimony from ballistics experts that indicates that federal forces fired their guns.