Arriving Somewhere

On July 12 at 9:00pm the PBS show “Wide Angle” will begin it’s 2005 season with an hour episode about the Beslan school siege by Chechen terrorists. As Russia allows very little news to escape about the war in Chechnya, this show promises to be very interesting. From the description on the website it also seems to take a balanced look at both the terrorists and the failings of the Russian government. More info on the PBS site.

The Moscow News reports on comments made by a pro-Moscow official in Chechnya on how more than 300,000 civilians have been killed and over 200,000 missing since the beginning of the wars in 1994. This is from a pro-Moscow government official! Considering how much they’ve tried to downplay the atrocities committed by the Russian security forces, one has to wonder if the actual figures are much higher.
300,000 Killed in Chechen Wars — Pro-Moscow Official

Lastly, an American newspaper reports on a Russian story concerning Chechnya. An Unlikely Antiwar Hero for Russians is about a Russian Police officer who served SEVEN tours of duty in Chechnya, and is accused of war crimes relating to an attack on a village.

More than 55 civilians, ranging in age from 1 to 82, were shot, strangled or burned in their homes. Gold teeth were pulled out of the victims’ mouths; televisions, tape recorders and cash were looted; women were gang-raped and slain or left for dead. Yet in more than five years, no soldier was arrested or charged — until recently.

What makes this story so interesting (aside from the fact that the Russian government has allowed anyone to be accused of atrocities at all!) is that the anti-war movement is defending the police officer. Their reason is that as the Chechens are victims of the Russian government, so are the Russian soldiers.

technorati tag: Beslan