Netherlands sues Russia over the downing of plane
AMSTERDAM» The Dutch government is taking Russia to the European Court of Human Rights over the downing nearly six years ago of Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 over eastern Ukraine.
The Netherlands, home to about two-thirds of the victims, made the move to provide “maximum support” to individual cases brought to the European court by victims’ relatives, the country’s foreign minister, Stef Blok, wrote in a letter to the Dutch parliament released Friday.
All 298 people on the flight were killed after a Buk surface-to-air missile from territory controlled by pro-Moscow Ukrainian rebels downed the plane July 17, 2014, when it was on its way from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
“Achieving justice for 298 victims of the downing of Flight MH17 is and will remain the government’s highest priority,” Blok said in a statement. “By taking this step today — bringing a case before the European Court of Human Rights and thus supporting the applications of the next of kin as much as we can — we are moving closer to this goal.”
Taking Russia to court enables the Netherlands to help the families of victims who are also seeking legal redress, by providing at least some of the evidence they need to prove their claims, Blok said in an interview.
“Many relatives have begun procedures and have now entered a phase where they need evidence. We have that evidence, and providing it to the court by starting this procedure is the best way to help them,” he said.
The Russian Foreign Ministry’s spokesperson, Maria Zakharova, described Friday’s step as “another blow” to the relationship between Russia and the Netherlands.
“The Hague took the path from the very beginning of placing all blame on Russia for the crash of Flight MH17,” Zakharova said in a statement. “We believe that this step will only lead to further politicization and will complicate the search for the truth.”
Russia repeatedly has denied involvement in the tragedy, despite growing evidence that the plane was shot down by a Russian anti-aircraft missile sent into eastern Ukraine from a Russian military base across the border.
In the local criminal court case, Dutch authorities said they had more than 300 witnesses, intercepted calls and messages, and radar data to support their conclusions.
Instead of addressing the evidence, Moscow has generated a series of highly implausible counter explanations and conspiracy theories mostly focused on blaming Ukraine and attacking the legitimacy of the investigation.