I'm reading the transcripts of Nurpashi Kulayev's trial now, just open one after another at random and read, a little bit from each one.

They are stored at PravdaBeslana.ru, all in Russian, of course.

One witness (hearing #10) talks about the unbearable heat in the gym, how they smashed some windows at some point to let the air in but then stopped because they feared snipers and maybe also that the special forces would try to enter from the roof.

A page or so later, this:

[Prosecutor Maria Semisynova]

- At the very beginning you said that to quieten the hostages, the militants were firing machine guns overhead. That was during the first day. (Kulayev's guard fainted.) Oy, oy, oy, oy. We should at least turn on the fan, it's so hot, let him sit down. Give him some water, too. Can you switch the air conditioner over there?! Open the windows.

Oh God.