Beslan school hostage crisis

The Beslan school hostage crisis began when a group of armed muslim terrorists, demanding an end to the Second Chechen War, took more than 1,100 people (including some 777 children) hostage on September 1, 2004 at a school in the town of Beslan, North Ossetia-Alania. On the third day of the standoff, Russian security forces stormed the building using tanks, thermobaric rockets and other heavy weapons. A fire engulfed the building and a chaotic gun battle ensued. At least 334 hostages were killed, including 186 children, and hundreds more were wounded or reported missing.

Multinational bodies

•  United Nations – Secretary-General Kofi Annan further condemned the attack as a "brutal and senseless slaughter of children" and "terrorism, pure and simple".

•  UN Security Council – The UN Security Council in a Presidential Statement condemned the attack in the strongest terms and urged states actively to cooperate with the Russian authorities in efforts to bring the perpetrators to justice.

•  European Union – Romano Prodi on behalf of the European Commission responded by calling the attack a: Killing of these innocent people is an evil, despicable act of barbarism." and Dutch Foreign Minister Ben Bot on behalf of the European Union stated that "We have been confronted with a deep human tragedy [...] Beslan shows once again that we have to do everything in our power to confront terrorism."

•  UNESCO – Director-General Koichiro Matsuura of UNESCO – I am appalled that a school and its pupils are being used for political end and further that Schools are where children learn to live together. The safety of schools must never be threatened. I condemn these actions in the strongest possible terms.

International

Africa

•  South Africa - Nelson Mandela called the attack an "inhumane and barbaric act of terrorism”, saying that "in no way can the victimisation and killing of innocent children be justified in any circumstances, and especially not for political reasons".

Americas

•  United States - President Bush of the United States in a speech to the UN General Assembly said of the terrorists at Beslan that they: "measure their success - in the death of the innocent, and in the pain of grieving families".. And further in a later speech called it "the terrorist massacre of schoolchildren in Beslan".

Europe

• Italy - The Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi responded saying ""The international community has to unite against terrorism that denies common human values to all the world's civilizations [...] There is no reason that could justify such inhuman violence."

•  Sweden - Prime Minister of Sweden Göran Persson - The evil deed of targeting children makes the world understand what times we are living in, how vulnerable our communities are and what types of crimes and terror we have to deal with
  • [http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,131432,00.html World Leaders Horrified at Russia Siege

•  Britain - The British Prime Minister Tony Blair described the terrorist attack as "a barbaric act".

•  Denmark - Danish Prime Minister Anders Fogh Rasmussen said that no aim or situation could justify taking children hostage.^{[citation needed]}

•  France - French Foreign Ministry, in a statement concluded that "Everyone must mobilise in the fight against terrorism'"'

•  Germany - German Chancellor Gerhard Schröder stated "This is a new dimension of terrorism" and German Foreign Minister Joschka Fischer said that "There are no reasons imaginable that could justify taking children, toddlers, babies and their mothers hostages.
  • [url=http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,131432,00.html World Leaders Horrified at Russia Siege]|

Middle East

•  Jordan - Government spokesman Asma Khader "condemns such acts, especially the kidnapping of civilians and to scare them in such a heinous way, even more, when most are children" saying "no cause can be achieved by such criminal means."

•  Lebanon - Lebanese President Émile Lahoud said in Beirut "denounces all forms of terror, especially that which threatens the lives of children and innocents."

•  Israel - The Israeli government offered help in rehabilitating freed hostages. Immediately after, an experienced Israeli trauma team was sent to Beslan and later Russian psychologists working with the victims of the massacre received help on training by Israeli experts in Israel.^{[citation needed]}

Religious leaders

• vile and ruthless aggression on defenceless children and families
  • Pope John Paul II, Stunned aftermath of siege bloodbath. The Scotsman (September 5, 2004). Retrieved on 2006-08-01.</ref>

• What is the guilt of those children. Why should they be responsible for your conflict with the government. You are taking Islam as a cover and it is a deceptive cover; those who carry out the kidnappings are criminals, not Muslims.
  • Grand Shaikh [[w:Muhammad Sayyid Tantawy|Muhammad Sayyid Tantawy], Arab leaders decry school killings. Al Jazeera (September 4, 2004). Retrieved on 2006-08-11.</ref>

NGO's

• A group of international human rights organizations, including Amnesty International, condemned it as an “abhorrent [...] action” and a “displays [of] callous disregard for civilian life" and further that it was “an attack on the most fundamental right - the right to life; our organizations denounce this act unreservedly."