Children Massacre in Russia : CoE's Human Rights a Target, but also a Reply ?

- Criminals "Video-taped" their innocent Victims, taken Hostages or executed, to "report to those who Commanded the crime" : "terrorists only carried out Orders which came from Elsewhere", revealed Russian Ambassador to CoE in Strasbourg (6/9/2004)

- In fact, it's a larger Attack against Council of Europe's Human Rights Values, warned CoE's official.

(Children kidnapped and parked like Animals ! Video by the commando of odious kidnappers, released at Russian TV one day after it was first revealed in Strasbourg : 7/9/2004)

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(NDLR : Provisional, Incomplete Draft, as many parallel events evolve)

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Children Massacre after massive-Hostage-taking in Russian School is also an "Attack" against Human Rights' values by "Criminals", stressed in Strasbourg Council of Europe's HR Commissioner, Alvaro Gil-Robles, of Spain, while the 45 member-states' strong organization lowered all its flags at half-mast after the odious, unprecedented atrocity.

- "Such a Criminal act is an Attack against all who share our Organisation's Values. It shows once again the need for the Citizens and States of Europe to reaffirm their Solidarity and commitment to Liberty and Human rights in the face of Terrorist Threats that seek to Undermine them", warned Robles at an unprepared quasi-spontaneous CoE's staff ceremony organized at the last minute, speaking on behalf of all CoE's political leadership which travels to Oslo (Norway) for meetings scheduled a long time ago.

(European Commissioner on Human Rights, Alvaro Gil-Robles, and Russia's Ambassador, Alexander Orlov, at the CoE in Strasbourg)

CoE's leaders unanimously condemned the Children Hostage-taking and massacre that most denounced as a "Barbary" : - "Nothing can take away the sheer Barbarism of .. the Criminal actions of Hostage takers, and those who supported them" : "No cause justify it nor diminish their Responsibility for the hundreds of Innocent Victims", added Robles. - The "Horror felt" after "this Barbaric act", which "ended in a dreadful blood bath", "Shocked us all the more as it Targeted what is most precious to us, our Children". "There are no words strong enough to express our Consternation, nor our feelings of Friendship and Solidarity", said a message to Russia by Jan Petersen, Norwegian Chairman CoE's Ministerial Committee, Peter Schieder, CoE Assembly's President. Parliamentary Assembly, and Terry Davis, new CoE's Secretary General, sent Saturday from Strasbourg.

- "The fact that Victims are Children makes this act of terrorism even more Barbaric and Despicable", earlier said the Norwegian Foreign Minister, who had called from the outset "for the immediate release of all hostages, without conditions". Reminding the Series of Caucasus-related "Barbaric Attacks" which hit Russia recently, ("two Aeroplanes", "underground Railway station in Moscow", "seizure of School in Beslan"), Terry Davis had warned, since 1/9/2004, that "Despicable acts such as these only strengthen the resolve of Democratic nations to fight terrorism".

If there are complaints for some acts by certain public agents in Chechnya, it's for local Courts to deal with that, as Russian authorities have promised us. But nothing justifies attacks against innocent men, women and even children, had added CoE's Secretary General at a Press-Conference in Strasbourg, the eve of the unexpected massacre, when, on the contrary, a negotiated release of 30 hostages had opened some hopes for a peaceful outcome.

- "To commit this odious crime terrorists chose the First day of School Year which, in my country, has always been a celebration covered in Flowers. This time, (it) was covered in Blood", said Russia's Ambassador to the CoE, Alexander Orlov, in Strasbourg's ceremony.

"334 People, including 156 Children, were killed in a Cowardly way, coldly shot in the back". "116 bodies have yet to be identified. 200 people are still Missing".

Aggressors "came to kill : ..they executed hostages - 20 people were killed in this way in 2 days", he reminded.

- Orlov revealed in Strasbourg that "everything was recorded on Video camera, ..for the purposes of reporting to those who Commanded the crime "terrorists only carried out Orders which came from Elsewhere".

"Russia is not fighting against the Chechen People, but against ..terrorism", which is "International", stressed Orlov, pointing at the Foreign Ethnic origins of dead kidnapers, but without revealing more than only a part of what was already published in Moscow earlier. An important point, which triggers various Questions in Russia, Europe and the World : It's not yet clearly known Who were really behind these particularly vicious attacks, and Why Now.

- "Enquiry's results clearly show that the terrorists ....Prepared their Monstrous crime in Advance", stressed Russia's permanent representative to the CoE. Orlov was obviously making a reference to astonishing findings, strong suspicions and rumors, that Accomplices of Criminals with Foreign links had already hidden explosives and arms, both before the deadly destruction of 2 civil Airplanes, and at the odious Children hostage-taking :

In all these cases, findings point at "Maintenance" (for the Airport), and "Building Repair" or "Construction" services (for the School) : - "Explosives, weapons and ammunition there ahead of their planned operation. "The organizers of School seizure hid their explosives and weapons in a cache under the Floor". "Former hostages have said, ..that the hostage-takers had opened their cache immediately after the seizure". "Explosives, arms and ammunition were brought to the School during this Summer's Repair works. They were disguised as Construction materials," Interfax revealed.  No information on the "Maintenance" or "Construction" networks reportedly involved with such strange, unprecedented and atrocious Crimes, was released yet. But, given that three murderous attacks related to Caucasus, (AirFlights paths, revendications for the Subway, and Children hostage-taking), it seems probable that sly criminal networks might have found dirty accomplices among some pseudo-"islamic" or other Foreign circles notoriously active at that conflict-striken region, which includes various States.

The "Aftermath of the Tragedy will be discussed" during CoE's top Political "meetings in Oslo", which had been scheduled since June, warned an official statement published meanwhile in Strasbourg : Inter alia, CoE Parliamentary Assembly's Bureau is due to adopt the final Agenda for a crucial Session of its Plenary, at the beginning of October in Strasbourg, Chechnya was expected to be discussed, in the presence of politicians from various States, including Turkish Prime Minister, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, (etc).

After the unprecedented events of last weeks, which hit surprisingly at the same time, both France and Russia, with Hostage-taking, it seems probable that "Urgent" CoE debates and resolutions might be prepared, according to further developments, also for Political Blackmails over aggressions against even Children and Journalists' Lives.

Strasbourg's experienced observers noted that, while History seems due to be forged either according to obscur aims of sly Criminals, or in another, different way, really opposed to them,  Vladimir Putin's recent dramatic call, includes certain very important points, which join some Council of Europe's core concerns and Values, as it was officially expressed also by CoE's Commissioner on Human Rights, Alvaro Gil-Robles in Strasbourg (See supra) :

- "We are Not dealing with isolated Intimidation actions or separate Terrorists' raids", the Russian President excluded from the outset.

But "with a Total, cruel and all-out War". 

"This is an Attack on our Country".  It's a "direct Intervention of International terror against Russia" .

"Some want to tear away a ..delicious Slice from us". "And others are helping them. .. in belief that Russia, as one of the largest Nuclear Powers, still poses a Threat to them (which).. has to be eliminated".

"Terrorism is .. only an Instrument for attaining such Goals".

(Causasus' region, in relation to which 3 Deadly Attacks occured recently against Innocent simple People in Russia, has notoriously complicated Geopolitics, often linked with veiled conflicts for the control of Caspian Sea Energy resources and supply roads).

" What happened was a terrorist act that was Inhuman and Unprecedented in its Cruelty."

"It is a Challenge ...to all of our People" "World experience shows that such Wars, unfortunately, do not end quickly"

Going well beyond needs for a "new system". to "control .. North Caucasus", and more "effective anti-crisis management, including ..new approaches to ..law-enforcement bodies", "in full compliance with the ..Constitution", while also struggling against "Corruption" which "pervaded the judicial and law-enforcement spheres", the President of Russia concluded with the following points, of particular importance for Strasbourg's European organizations :

- "But the Main thing is that the Nation should mobilize in the face of a common threat. ..terrorists are fought off most effectively ..where they are confronted not only with the Might of a State, but with a ..consolidated Civil Society".

They "think that they are stronger than we are and that they can Frighten us by their Cruelty, and that they will be able to Paralyze our Will and Disintegrate our Society."  "Those who sent Bandits to commit this Horrible Crime had the aim to bring our peoples against each other, Scare the Citizens of Russia and unleash a Bloody InterEthnic strife in North Caucasus". (... ) "In reality, we ..have no choice". If "we allow ourselves to be Blackmailed and abandon ourselves in Panic, we shall plunge Millions of People into the endless string of Bloody Conflicts, (like Karabakh, Transdniestrian and other ..Tragedies"). Therefore, "measures aimed at strengthening the country's Unity will be prepared shortly"

"We ..shall be Stronger than they, both with our Morale and Courage and our Human Solidarity."

"I saw that again this Night" : "In Beslan, literally saturated with grief and pain, People cared, and supported each other even more. "They were not afraid risking their lives for the sake of the life ...of others.", stressed the President of Russia. 

"Even in the most Inhuman conditions, they remained Humans.", he concluded.

Children, "God's Innocent creatures were under Sacred protection of all peoples in all Times," said Theophanes, local Bishop of Stavropol and Vladikavkaz in Ossetia.

Since odious Criminals' real aims are obviously Inhuman, People should not be trapped by them, and should "Not succomb to Fear and Hatred", said Russian Religious leader, christian orthodox patriarch Alexis II, from the outset of the Barbary against Children. "Terrorists declared War on all who live in Russia" Thus, he "appealed" to Russian People "to be on their Guard, not succumb to Panic, and not allow Hatred to take root in their Heart. We are to be One in our resolution to repulse Evil. Take Courage!'" We "used to go through Heinous times but always honourably emerged from trials". This "terrorism may seem an ineradicable evil, yet I firmly believe we shall vanquish it", he said.

History proves that Ideas and Values can become a stronger force, even than sly bombs. Strasbourg Human Rights' capital seems better equiped to develop mainly this part of Russian President's call, which obviously concerns all Europe, and well beyond, Worldwide Humankind.

(- "We are not afraid !"    - "Hands-off from our Children !")