Malaysia’s Dr Mahathir criticises ‘ridiculous’ charges over MH17

MALAYSIA’S prime minister on Thursday cr it icised t he “r idicu lous” decision to charge three Russians and a Ukrainian with murder over the shooting down of Malaysia Airlines Flight MH17.

International investigators charged the men on Wednesday, the first people to face justice over the tragedy five years ago in which 298 people were killed.

The Boeing 777 was travelling between Amsterdam and Kuala Lumpur when it was hit by a missile over part of eastern Ukraine held by pro-Russian rebels.

“We are very unhappy because from the very beginning it became a political issue on how to accuse Russia of wrongdoing,” Malaysian Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad told reporters in administrative capital Putrajaya.

“It is a ridiculous thing,” he added.

“As far as we are concerned we want proof of guilt. So fa r t here is no proof. Only hearsay.”

The Malaysian foreign ministry said in an earlier statement that it “appreciates” the announcement by the Dutch-led investigation team.

But it added that Malaysia is “committed to ensuring that the process is transparent, credible and effective. Our approach has always been that conclusions must be based on evidence, and not be politically motivated”.

‘Absolutely unfounded’

Moscow has slammed the “absolutely unfounded accusations”, while the US urged Russia to ensure that those charged with murder face justice.

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said: “We call upon Russia to ensure that any indicted individuals currently in Russia face justice”.

The Dutch-led inquiry team on Wednesday said international arrest warrants had been issued for Russian nationals Igor Girkin, Sergei Dubinsky and Oleg Pulatov, and Ukrainian Leonid Kharchenko, all of whom are suspected of roles in the separatist Donetsk People’s Republic.

The trial of the men with military and intelligence links will start in the Netherlands in March next year, although they are likely to be tried in absentia as neither Russia nor Ukraine extradites their nationals.

Dutch prosecutor Fred Westerbeke said the four were to be held responsible for bringing the BUK missile system from Russia into eastern Ukraine “even though they have not pushed the button themselves”.

“We won’t demand their extradition because Russian and Ukrainian law forbids the extradition of their nationals. But we ask Russia once more to cooperate – many of our questions remain unanswered,” he told a press conference.

The same investigation team said in May last year that the BUK anti-aircraft missile that hit the Boeing 777 had originated from the 53rd Russian military brigade based in the southwestern city of Kursk.

Relatives of those killed aboard MH17 also welcomed the news.

“It’s a start. I’m satisfied,” Silene Fredriksz, whose son and daughter-in-law were killed in the disaster, told reporters. “I am happy that the trial is finally going to start and that the names have been announced.”

Asked if she personally blamed anyone for t he crash, Fredriksz said: “Mr [Russian President V ladimir] Putin. Because he made this possible. He created this sit uat ion. He is t he main responsible person.”

‘Waiting for five years’

Piet Ploeg, president of a Dutch v ictims’ association who lost t hree family members on MH17, sa id it was “ver y important news”.

“The relatives of the victims have been waiting for t his for nearly f ive years,” he said.

Girkin, 48, is the most high-profile suspect, having previously been the self-proclaimed defence minister in the self-proclaimed Donetsk People’s Republic in eastern Ukraine before apparently falling out with the Kremlin.

Girkin, who is thought to be living in Moscow, denied the separatists were involved. “I can only say that rebels did not shoot down the Boeing,” he told Russia’s Interfax news agency.

Dubinskiy, 56, who was formerly in the Russian military intelligence agency GRU, was head of the intelligence service of the Donetsk People’s Republic, while Pulatov, 52, an ex-soldier in the GRU’s Spetsnaz special forces unit, was one of his deputies.

Kharchenko was a military commander i n Donetsk at t he t i me, t he Dutch prosecutors said.

During the press conference by the investigators, number of telephone intercepts were played that they said showed the four were involved.