investigation against Russia
Netherlands start proceedings for flight MH17
03/14/2022 11:41 am
In 2014, passenger flight MH17 was shot down by an anti-aircraft missile over contested territory in eastern Ukraine. All 298 people on board die. A procedure now initiated by the Netherlands together with Australia is intended to determine Russia’s liability. Moscow denies any involvement.
The Netherlands and Australia have launched a case against Russia at the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) over the downing of passenger flight MH17. This was announced by the government in The Hague. The organization should determine that Russia is responsible and thus liable. Such a finding opens the way to claims for damages, the government said.
The Malaysia Airlines plane was shot down by a Buk anti-aircraft missile over a contested area in eastern Ukraine in July 2014. All 298 people on board were killed, most of them from the Netherlands. 27 Australians also died. According to international investigations, the Buk missile came from Russia. “And of course that’s exactly what happened,” Dutch Foreign Minister Wopke Hoekstra told the ANP news agency. “We know that MH17 was shot down from the air with a Russian Army Buk.”
But Moscow denies any involvement. According to The Hague, Russia violated the Chicago Convention on Safe Civil Air Travel Guarantees “by unlawfully using a weapon against a civilian aircraft.” According to the government, the initiation of the procedure has nothing to do with the current Ukraine war. This step was taken after long and careful preparation.
So far, two procedures are ongoing in connection with the downing of flight MH17. A criminal court near Amsterdam is currently conducting a trial against four accused pro-Russian separatists. They are accused of murdering the 298 people. However, the trial takes place in the absence of the accused. In addition, the Netherlands initiated proceedings against Russia before the European Court of Human Rights.