Australia calls for Russia to face up to its responsibility in the ‘horrific' downing of MH17 which carried 38 Australians
Australia has called on Moscow to face up to its responsibility in the 'horrific' downing of Malaysia Airlines Flight MH17 more than a decade ago, killing all 298 passengers on board, including 38 Australians.
It came a short time after the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) Council in Montreal found Russia responsible under international law for shooting down the passenger plane on July 17, 2014.
Russia has never accepted culpability for the disaster and has instead fanned theories to shift the blame, including the suggestion a Ukrainian jet brought the Boeing 777 down.
The international investigation debunked the theories and proved it was a Russian-made and supplied anti-aircraft missile fired towards the plane from the ground in eastern Ukraine.
The case was brought to the Council jointly by the Netherlands and Australia in 2022 in the pursuit of accountability for the strike which brought MH17 down over eastern Ukraine, months after the war erupted in the region.
The case hinged on allegations the Russian Federation used a surface-to-air missile to down MH17 over eastern Ukraine constituting a breach of Article 3 (bis) of the Convention on International Civil Aviation, which requires States "refrain from resorting to the use of weapons against civil aircraft in flight".
The ICAO Council will now consider what form of reparation is in order, with Dutch Foreign Minister Caspar Veldkamp hailing the decision which favoured the Netherlands and Australia.
Foreign Minister Penny Wong issued a statement on Tuesday morning, vowing to pursue justice for those who called Australia home.
'This is a historic moment in the pursuit of truth, justice and accountability for the victims of the downing of Flight MH17, and their families and loved ones,' Ms Wong said.
'In reaching its decision, the ICAO Council has upheld the fundamental principle that weapons should not be used against civil aircraft.'
Ms Wong said the Albanese government welcomed the ICAO Council's decision and called on Russia to 'finally face up' for the 'egregious' and 'horrific act of violence'.
'Our thoughts remain with those who lost their lives as a result of Russia's actions, their families and loved ones,' Ms Wong said.
'While we cannot take away the grief of those left behind, we will continue to stand with them in that grief and pursue justice for this horrific act.'
The ICAO Council, which is based in Montreal and sets global aviation rules followed by 193 member states, is not equipped with enforcement powers, but has considerable diplomatic sway.
The Council is yet to release a public statement on the ruling.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Sky News AU
32 minutes ago
- Sky News AU
'Wake up to the reality': Nationals leader David Littleproud claims 2050 net zero goal not possible without nuclear energy
Nationals leader David Littleproud has claimed Australia's goal to achieve net zero emissions by 2050 is not possible without nuclear energy and other 'pragmatic approaches'. Speaking to Sky News host Chris Kenny on Tuesday night, Mr Littleproud said the Labor government's 'all renewables approach' would bring a 'far more harsher' experience for Australians than just energy bills going up. 'We're living with the physical consequence of our prime agricultural land being ripped up with transmission lines, solar panels and wind turbines, and the actual natural environment's also being destroyed in trying to achieve this,' he said. On Sunday, Energy Minister Chris Bowen recommitted to expanding renewables developments across the country in order to meet ambitious emissions reductions targets and reach net zero by 2050. Mr Bowen also suggested Australia could soon introduce targeted tariffs on imports deemed emissions-intensive. Mr Littleproud said his party, which represents regional Australians, had been 'sensible' with its technology agnostic approach. 'We should have nuclear energy as part of that solution. But you should also look at countries that are looking at having a mixed energy grid, not an all renewables approach,' he said, referencing Japan. 'Japan's importing our coal and gas, burning it, capturing it, and bringing it back here and storing it here in Australia.' Asked if it was possible for a developed economy to achieve net zero by 2050, Mr Littleproud said it would not be a realistic goal 'without nuclear energy or carbon capture storage', as well as other 'pragmatic approaches' like using methane for agricultural purposes. 'Unless we see that, then obviously I think the world is going to have a realisation that's going to be very difficult. In fact, they're realising that now,' he said. 'Many of the countries that have made these grand commitments are now saying, 'look, the easy stuff has already been done, the hard stuff now is costing us a lot' and there is going to be a realisation at some point.' Mr Littleproud said Australia was 'blessed' to have sovereignty of its resources but insisted a mixed grid and 'sensible economy' was within reach. The Nationals leader added a mixed grid would give Australia with a healthy environment and create a 'far wealthier country', but called for the extreme parties in the energy debate to 'lay down their arms' and 'wake up to the reality'.
AU Financial Review
an hour ago
- AU Financial Review
Explosion rocks Kerch Bridge to Crimea as Ukraine strikes again
London | A bomb planted by Ukrainian spies rocked the underbelly of Russia's Kerch Bridge, which links occupied Crimea to the Russian mainland. In what was Kyiv's third attack on the structure, its security service said it detonated 1100 kilograms of explosives early on Tuesday, damaging some underwater pillars. The Telegraph London
The Age
an hour ago
- The Age
Ukraine says it struck key Crimean bridge with underwater blast
Reuters was able to confirm the location from the structure and bearing elements of the bridge that matched satellite and file imagery of the area, but was unable to independently verify when the video was filmed. Loading Russian military bloggers said the attack had been unsuccessful and speculated that it had been carried out by a Ukrainian sea drone. It comes after a Ukrainian drone attack over the weekend damaged or destroyed more than 40 warplanes at airbases deep inside Russia, which Ukrainian officials said was a serious blow to the Kremlin's strategic arsenal and military prestige. The Russian Defence Ministry acknowledged that Ukrainian attack set several planes ablaze at two airbases but said the military repelled attempted attacks on three other air bases. Meanwhile, a Russian rocket attack targeted the north-eastern Ukrainian city of Sumy on Tuesday, killing at least four people and wounding 25, officials said. Local authorities said the barrage of rockets struck apartment buildings and a medical facility in the centre of the city. Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky denounced the assault, saying it underscored that Moscow has no intentions of halting the three-year-old war. Russia's state Investigative Committee also accused Ukraine of carrying out 'acts of terrorism' by blowing up two railway bridges in Russia over the weekend. Seven people were killed and 113 injured, including children, when two trains crashed in Russia's Kursk and Bryansk regions as a result of the attacks, the committee said on Telegram. The attacks come a day after direct peace talks in Istanbul made no progress on ending the fighting. Delegations from the warring sides have agreed to swap dead and wounded troops, but their conditions for ending the war remained far apart. Dmitry Medvedev, who serves as deputy head of the country's Security Council chaired by Russian President Vladimir Putin, indicated there would be no let-up in Russia's invasion. Loading 'The Istanbul talks are not for striking a compromise peace on someone else's delusional terms but for ensuring our swift victory and the complete destruction' of Ukraine's government, he said. In an apparent comment on the latest Ukrainian strikes, he declared that 'retribution is inevitable'. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov, responding to suggestions that a face-to-face meeting between Putin, Trump and Zelensky could break the deadlock, says the possibility is 'unlikely in the near future'. The war has killed more than 12,000 Ukrainian civilians, according to the United Nations, as well as tens of thousands of soldiers on both sides along the roughly 1000-kilometre front line where the fighting grinds on despite US-led efforts to broker a peace deal.
