On September 1, 2004, militants took 1,128 hostages in School No. 1 in the city of Beslan (North Ossetia). As a result of the tragedy, 330 people died, including 186 children. The incident went down in Russian history as one of the most terrible terrorist attacks.

The victims and their relatives repeatedly appealed to the courts to criticize the investigation. Some of them were represented by lawyers from the Memorial Human Rights Center. According to the Center, the victims of the terrorist attack in Beslan tried to achieve justice in 127 Russian courts for eight years. They insisted that officials should be held accountable for failing to prevent the terrorist attack, for the disproportionate use of force and for the poor planning and execution of the operation. The parcel, consisting of their petitions and court decisions, weighed 43 kg.

50 Russian judges, including the Supreme Court judge and personally the Chairman of the Constitutional Court Zorkin, made decisions not in favor of the victims.