Russia court grants amnesty to Beslan siege police

BESLAN, Russia, May 30 (Reuters) A Russian court granted an amnesty to three policemen who were charged with negligence for failing to prevent the 2004 Beslan school massacre, in which 331 people died.

As the judge began reading out an order granting the police officers an amnesty, about 25 women who lost relatives in the siege smashed courtroom windows, overturned furniture and tore down blinds, said a Reuters witness who was in the building.

The judge withdrew to a side room and finished reading the order, without members of the public present.

The three policemen are the only officials to have faced criminal charges over the 2004 Beslan siege, which happened after gunmen linked to separatists in Chechnya seized school No 1 in Beslan, southern Russia.

Half of the dead were children. The only surviving hostage-taker has been convicted of murder.

Victims' groups though say the operation to free the hostages was botched and that failures by law enforcement agencies have been covered up by the government and courts.

REUTERS AKJ PM0903