The 'NORD-OST' regional public organization for protection of victims from terrorist acts is made of members who were victims and suffered as a result of terrorist acts that occurred inside the Russian Federation.  These acts of terrorism include: the seizure of hostages on October 23-26, 2002, during the musical 'Nord-Ost'; the apartment blasts on Guryanov Street and on the Kashirsk Highway in 1999; the bombings of the Moscow Metro on February 6th, 2004 ('Avtozavodskaya' and 'Paveletskaya' stations); the bombings of Tu-134 'Moscow-Volgograd' and Tu-154 'Moscow-Sochi' in 2004; the seizure of hostages in School No. 1 on September 3-9, 2004, in Beslan, North Osetia. We appeal to you with the following:

 The results of terrorist acts are terrible. They affect not only the persons who fall directly into the zone of the act of terror, but also their families and close relatives.

These results may not manifest themselves immediately, but over the course of time.  They express themselves in worsening health, or psychological disorders and the like.  The shock experienced by people does depart without leaving a trace behind. Psychological changes in people who are affected by an act of terror can be characterized as similar to syndromes that the terror act's victims or sufferers go through, and are similar to combat syndromes. 

Accordingly, it is necessary to provide a package of measures for the social rehabilitation of such persons, to make it possible to compensate them for both the material and moral harm terror causes. The consequences of terrorist acts for persons affected by them in one way or another manifested themselves in the following ways:  

• A large number of families lost their breadwinners.

• 67 children were made orphans by the tragedy at 'Nord-Ost', and 79 children after the tragedy in Beslan were likewise left without one or both parents.  Likewise, there are a large number of children who were orphaned by other acts of terror that occurred on the territory of the Russian Federation.

• 80% of the surviving hostages of the tragedy at Dubrovka, after suffering a gas attack during the assault, are now in constant need of treatment and ambulatory care, and their health status continues to deteriorate.  A large number of them have been declared disabled to varying degrees.

• Practically all hostages who survived the tragedy in Beslan require constant treatment in hospitals; many of them have undergone operations for serious injuries, shrapnel wounds, and other bodily injuries, and many must undergo still more operations.

• All who lost relatives and loved ones in these acts of terror are in extreme need of medical aid and hospital treatment, since they have undergone the most severe of nervous shocks and stresses in burying their children, husbands, wives, relatives and loved ones.

• Medical establishments recommend that victims and those who suffered in terror acts at least once per year receive sanatorium and health treatment, or a period of out-of-town summer leisure.

• The victims and those who suffered from acts of terror severely need cost-free medicines and medical examinations.

In spite of this, the government of the Russian Federation has not undertaken proper measures to compensate its citizens from injuries they suffered as a result of terrorist acts.  We believe that this is connected with the absence of the necessary legislative foundations.

 On the basis of what is presented above, and in accordance with Article 104 of the Constitution of the Russian Federation, we request that you introduce a legislative initiative to make changes and additions the below enumerated laws of the Russian Federation, and their corresponding judicial acts:

 1. Supplement 'Basic Concepts of Federal Law' dated July 25th, 1998, #130-F3 ('Combating Terrorism') to include the concept: STATUS OF THOSE WHO WERE VICTIMS OR SUFFERED FROM A TERRORIST ACT, which differs from the concept HOSTAGE. Those who suffered from a terrorist act include the close relatives of hostages, as well as those who have a direct relationship with the conduct of counter-terrorist operations and the release of hostages, since in participating in their release they are located in the epicenter of an act of terror, but who are not hostages.

 2. Supplement Chapter IV of this act, ('Compensation for harm caused as a result of terrorist action and the social rehabilitation of those who suffered as a result of terrorist action') to include an amendment that grants legal status to hostages and to those who suffered from a terrorist act.

Into the packet of the social privileges provided by this article they must include: 

• Rendering free medical aid, medical examinations, and procedures.

• Free medicines.

• Transport privileges.

• Housing and utility privileges.

• Free passes to children's health camps and sanatoriums for the treatment of orphaned minors.

• Passes to sanitariums and health treatment and leisure centers for victims and sufferers of acts of terror.

• Free tuition in kindergartens and nursery schools for children who lost parents in an act of terror.

• Reduced tuition in educational institutions for children who lost parents in an act of terror.

3. To Article 23 of Federal law #53-F3, dated March 28th, 1998, ('Military responsibility and military service') release from compulsory military service those citizens, subject to compulsory military service, with an amendment with the following points:  

• Supplement Part 2 of the given Article, 'the following citizens have the right to release from compulsory military service', with the following point which foresees the RELEASE FROM DRAFT FOR PERSONS WHO ARE LEGALLY ACKNOWLEDGED AS HOSTAGES.  
• Supplement Point 6 of Part 2 with a paragraph, which foresees the RELEASE FROM MILITARY SERVICE OF SONS IN FAMILIES WHERE ALREADY ONE OF THE CHILDREN PERISHED FROM AN ACT OF TERROR.  

Chairman of ROO 'NORD-OST' S.N. Karpov

Cochairman of ROO 'NORD-OST' T.I. Karpova