The European Court of Human Rights has found Russia responsible for the downing of flight MH17 as well as large scale human rights violations in Ukraine since the start of the conflict in 2014.
In a unanimous 501-page ruling, the Strasbourg court found the Buk missile which hit the passenger jet, killing everyone on board, was fired by Russia forces or Russian-backed separatists.
The judges also found that the Kremlin had subjected the victims’ families to “inhumane treatment” by obstructing the recovery of remains and spreading disinformation.
The families were happy with the outcome. “It’s recognition for what we, as relatives, have known for a long time,”Piet Ploeg, chairman of the MH17 Air Disaster Foundation, told reporters after the hearing. “Yet, it’s important to receive that recognition. A country can’t just get away with this.”
Caretaker Dutch prime minister Dick Schoof said the decision was an important step towards justice. “My thoughts today are with all the relatives who have had to miss their family, loved ones and friends for more than 10 years,” he wrote on social media.
Ukraine also heralded the decision. “This is an undeniable victory for Ukraine and a powerful step toward ensuring Russia’s full accountability,” Ukraine’s ministry of justice said in a statement.
The court also found Russia had committed widespread human rights abuses in Ukraine since 2014, including murder, torture, rape and attacking civilian infrastructure.
In July 2014, Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur was cruising at 33,000 feet when it was struck by a Buk missile fired by pro-Russian forces in the contested Donbas region of Ukraine. The missile exploded beside the cockpit, shredding the fabric of the aircraft and killing all 298 passengers and crew.
Five countries, led by the Netherlands, set up a Joint Investigation Team which traced the missile to a unit of the Russian army based in Kursk.
Three military commanders from the self-styled Donetsk People’s Republic were tried in absentia by a Dutch court and sentenced to life in prison for mass murder. A fourth defendant was acquitted.
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