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Former Hostages Sue Moscow
Over Theater Siege
11-28-2

MOSCOW (Reuters) - Some of the hostages who survived last month's bloody theater siege in Moscow are suing the city authorities for damages, their lawyer said Thursday.
 
City authorities say the suits are groundless.
 
Five people, including two relatives of the victims, have filed lawsuits at a Moscow court seeking more than $4 million in damages, lawyer Igor Trunov told Interfax news agency.
 
A total of 129 hostages out of more than 800 died in October when Russian forces stormed the theater after three days to end a stand-off with armed Chechen rebels. Most died from the effects of a special narcotic gas used to knock out the rebels.
 
Moscow authorities said earlier this week the lawsuits could not be accepted as that would make the city council guilty of not having been able to prevent the theater seizure.
 
The first hearings are scheduled for Dec. 3.
 
Earlier, Moscow's city council promised to pay about $5,000 to each of the victims' relatives and half that amount to those who survived the siege.
 
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