The school siege at Beslan was the bloodiest act of terrorism ever
to take place on Russian soil. Yet beyond this horrible truth remain
many unanswered questions. There is no agreement on who the terrorists
were. How many they numbered? Where they came from? How they got to
Beslan? What they wanted? Whether they were all killed or captured? And
just how the siege which began on September 1 2004, ended so
catastrophically?
This Dispatches special uses testimony from eyewitnesses, survivors
and security services. This is combined with video and audio archive
footage presents the fullest account of what happened at Beslan.
The film examines the background to the events of Beslan. It also
looks at the Russian state’s reaction to the atrocity and the
motivation of the hostage-takers. Beslan School Siege also documents
how a small town is coming to terms with the loss of its children.