Crime against Humanity: Taking of Hostages in Beslan

Abstract

The article examines in accordance with the current international law the taking of hostages at school no. 1 in Beslan (Northern Ossetia, Russia), on 1-3 September of the year 2004. The author arrives at the conclusion that the taking of hostages, as well as the other related crimes (murder, torture, inhuman treatment) committed against the hostages amount to a crime against humanity, and not only a terrorist act.
The Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court and relevant international jurisprudence are referred to as a basis for so interpreting the said crime. Though it is relevant to mention that Russian Federation has only signed but still has not ratified the above-mentioned Rome Statute. This fact complicates the matter of applying its provisions directly to the situation in Beslan but still it is possible to rely on it in interpreting related norms of customary law.
In conclusion, the legal and ethical consequences of the Russian courts’ failure to qualify the taking of hostages in Beslan as a crime against humanity are briefly illustrated.