RUSSIA. VICTIMS DEMAND HARSH SENTENCE AGAINST BESLAN HOSTAGE-TAKER

relatives of those killed in the Beslan school massacre called for a harsh sentence -- even death -- as the reading out of a guilty verdict against the sole-surviving hostage-taker entered its third day. Some of those who lost loved ones in the September 2004 tragedy think a decade-old national moratorium on capital punishment should be lifted for Nurpashi Kulayev, 25, the sole survivor among the 32 hostage-takers.
"I want an adequate sentence. He deserves death. His crime cannot be justified," said Rita Sidakova, whose nine-year-old daughter was killed in the world's bloodiest hostage drama.
"Even if there is a moratorium, I want Kulayev sentenced to death. Maybe one day the moratorium will be lifted and he will die," she added.
The prosecutor at the court in the mountainous province of North Ossetia also called for the death sentence against Kulayev.
"If Kulayev is executed, maybe other terrorists will think twice before mounting a new attack," said Rimma Torchinova, who also lost her daughter.