Trial continues in empty courthouse

None of the victims summoned to give evidence in the case of Nurpashi Kulayev, the only surviving participant in the attack on school No 1 in Beslan, North Ossetia, came to the trial earlier today. The hearing began with a nearly one-hour delay. Only two victims were present. Therefore, the prosecution at once began to read out the evidence of those victims who have agreed to their pre-trial evidence being used, declining to give it personally in the courthouse.

Taimuraz Chejemov, representative of the Beslan Mothers Committee, links the low attendance with interest in the process lost: "People no longer trust anyone or anything, so they do not expect anything from the process. This process has shown that no one wants to establish those really guilty."

Mr Chejemov also said what he thought about the recently conducted "situational examination" calling it "absurdity from the point of view of the law."

Earlier, Deputy Prosecutor General Nikolai Shepel had told Beslan Mothers that officials were not to blame for what had happened in Beslan. In saying so, he referred to the examination.

It is the first time this kind of examination has been conducted in Russia. The investigation is currently waiting for its results which Deputy Prosecutor General Vladimir Kolesnikov believes will make it possible to assess actions of leaders, including at federal level.

"With this examination, they will shift their responsibility for the guilty officials to the experts," Taimuraz Chejemov said. "There is a concept such as 'solidarity of officials' in this country. Our chiefs are not accountable under the law. That is why the prosecutors are keeping silent. Meanwhile, the women do not want anyone's blood, they only ask to name those guilty."

Recollecting the terrorist act in Beslan, Mr Chejemov confessed that he, in turn, first of all thought that corruption and abuse of power on the part of officials were to blame: "Corruption is the cause of everything in this country. The events in Kabardino-Balkaria tell us about the same. And in Beslan, law enforcement and security agencies just wanted to report all terrorists destroyed, so they bombed the hostages without taking casualties into account."

• Kulayev case under way in N Ossetia