MH17 suspects will be prosecuted in the Hague
The people suspected of shooting down a Malaysia Airlines jet in eastern Ukraine three years ago will be prosecuted in the Hague under Dutch law. The decision was made by Australia, Belgium, Malaysia, Ukraine and the Netherlands after Russia vetoed proposals to set up an international tribunal at the UN.
Although no suspects have been charged yet, the joint investigation claims to have “extensive” evidence on about 100 people likely to include Russian military personnel as well as Ukrainian separatist rebels. ,So far only two Russian-speaking men, named, but not verified, as Andrey Ivanovich, also known as “Orion”, and Nikolay Fiodorovich, using the pseudonym “Delfin”, have been identified as possible suspects.
Flight MH17 was shot down on July 17, 2014, killing all 283 passengers on board and 15 crew over eastern Ukraine. Among the passengers were 38 Australians, 43 Malaysians, 193 Dutch, and 10 Britons. A Dutch-led investigation concluded that the plane was shot down by a Buk missile system that had been transported from Russia to Ukraine on the day of the crash. Trial proceedings will probably be held in absentia because of Russia’s opposition to bringing suspects to justice for the killings.
The five countries working together in the investigation of the shooting down of the aircraft chose the Netherlands both because of the number of Dutch people who died in the crash but also because of the country’s international reputation as judicial arbitrators. “With this decision we are taking a next step on the way to uncover the truth, the prosecution of suspects and satisfaction for the bereaved,” Mark Rutte, the Dutch prime minister, said. “That remains the highest priority for the Dutch government.”.....
Malcolm Turnbull, the Australian prime minister, said he had full confidence in the Dutch legal system and urged other states to co-operate with the investigation. “While we cannot take away the grief of those who lost their loved ones because of this atrocious act, we are committed to holding the perpetrators to account and achieving justice for all the victims,” he said.
The Buk-M1 anti-aircraft missile system used to shoot down MH17 has been linked to Russia’s 53rd Anti-Aircraft Missile Brigade, which was active in the region in 2014. At that time the Russian military was supporting armed rebels in a wider conflict with Ukraine after Moscow’s annexation of Crimea that year.
Tjibbe Joustra, who led the investigation, has suggested that any trial would have to be held in absentia because Russia will not co-operate on extraditing suspects from its territory. “I don’t see anybody going to jail quickly, but I think the truth will come out,” he told the Volkskrant newspaper.