Terror From Hell: The Children of Beslan Tell Their Stories (2 of 6)

In Russia, Sept. 1 is the Day of Knowledge, a joyous annual event marking the start of the new school year. But Knowledge Day 2004 was different at School No. 1 in Beslan: A group of heavily armed rebel extremists stormed the school, holding more than a thousand children and adults hostage in a sweltering gymnasium for three days. The harrowing siege ended Sept. 3 in a series of explosions and hail of gunfire that killed some 350 people - half of them children.

Featuring heartbreaking interviews with more than a dozen young survivors, as well as chilling footage shot by the hostage-takers themselves, Children of Beslan explores the devastating impact of violent conflict on children. Through the words of those left orphaned and bereft of family and friends, details of the 57-hour siege emerge, from the confusing first moments, when pupils heard noises they thought were balloons popping, to the numbing hours and days in the overheated gymnasium, to the devastating final hours, when bombs taped to walls and suspended from ceilings went off, and hundreds of panicked hostages, bullets flying around them, began scrambling over the bodies of victims in search of safety. Ranging in age from six to 12, the kids recount the events that robbed them of their family, friends and innocence - describing experiences that are chillingly familiar.

The Beslan siege ultimately killed more adults and children than the tragic 2002 Moscow theater siege by Chechen extremists (chronicled in the 2003 HBO documentary Terror in Moscow). Most surviving children now study at another school in town, with some fearful parents still accompanying them to school. The children's scars, visible and hidden, remain. "I have fewer friends than I used to," says Carat. "The ones who survived - we're not the same funny kids we used to be, we're serious now. We're already grownups. We don't fight any more... Even little boys became adults. Kids understand everything."

Children of Beslan exposes the impact of violent conflict on those who are rarely heard from, but are often the most deeply affected by its aftermath: children. In the tradition of HBO's acclaimed 2003 documentary Through A Child's Eyes: September 11, 2001, , Children of Beslan brings a unique child's perspective to a tragedy.

Children Of Beslan was produced and directed by Ewa Ewart and Leslie Woodhead; executive producers for the BBC, Alan Hayling and Fiona Stourton. For HBO: supervising producer, Lisa Heller; executive producer, Sheila Nevins.

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[PrinceofMakkah]

We love death more than you love life. ALLAHU AKBAR!!!

[NorwegianKafir]

in the ancient Greece. Then we of course we got muslim buthcers who couldn't care less peace and dignity, so they started to mass kill innocent civilians during München 1972.

Before we got muslims in the West, innocent civilians were protected and should not be deliberately targeted. Not until we got muslim groups in the West, that is. Soon airplanes, public meetings etc got blown up by muslims.

But why be surprised, the false prophet muhammad, your most perfect man for all times (cont)

[Dollymayfrosty]

Why are you all arguing about this? It's stupidity.

[bluberri90]

@PrinceofMakkah ugh your so fucking gay and all the people who liked your comment oh sorry i mean fucked up dicks who liked your comment. btw you aint prince of shit

[VicenteMosin]

@Ehecatl008 There are extremist groups in the USA (not so much in Europe) that are trying to become politically mainstream and dominate the country's politics. This was especially so in the Bush era. - Think of Jerry Falwell and the "moral majority" - Think of Patrick Henry College.

Sung Myung-moon has some influence, as he owns the Washington Times and hobnobbed with several celebrities (including Falwell) despite his heretical stance towards mainstream Christianity.

[VicenteMosin]

@Ehecatl008 India used to have a socialist style government and, while remaining independent of the Soviet Union, leaning somewhat towards it. The USA tried to support Pakistan as a bulwark against that

India liberalized its economy in the early 1990s, leading to the huge economic boom.

[VicenteMosin]

@Ehecatl008 The only reason why that's the case in Punjab is because of the 1940s partition between India and Pakistan - People familiar with the region know that there are Hindu extremists AND Muslim extremists, and they made each other miserable in their respective regions. For instance a Hindu extremist shot Gandhi when Gandhi asked for reconciliation.

[Ehecatl008]

@VicenteMosin Wahabis are one of the few islamic sects that do not try to hide what the real purpose of islam is: violent worldwide conquest and the oppression of nonbelievers.

[Ehecatl008]

@VicenteMosin "Religion forms a large part of ethnicity/identity". So what? Pakis and people of northern India are of the same urdu speaking ethnic group, but profess different religions. India is thriving economically, while Pakistan, where people are sentenced to death for blasphemy (i.e. speaking out against islam), depends on the multi-billion dollars charity bestowed on them by the U.S. One may ask, why is it so, since they are basically the same people. The answer: islam.

[Ehecatl008]

@VicenteMosin These are extremist fringe groups that don´t represent the religion at all. Jim Jones, The Waco nuts and conmen like Reverend Moon and Jimmy Swaggart might have made some waves but only represent themselves and their moronic/deluded followers, whereas islam is extremist to its very core, just read the koran and its 200 plus verses of blatant hatespeech. There is as much moderate islam s there is moderate Nazism.

[VicenteMosin]

@Ehecatl008 Fundamentalist Wahhabist Muslims, though, ignore that whole "People of the Book" thing and severely persecute them anyway.