Global aviation council finds Russia responsible for downing MH17 over Ukraine in 2014
MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) - The Council of the International Civil Aviation Organization on Tuesday found Russia responsible for shooting down Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 over Ukraine with the loss of 298 lives more than a decade ago, in a ruling that raises the prospect of victims' families being paid compensation.
Russia has rejected the findings.
A Dutch-led international investigation concluded in 2016 that the Amsterdam-to-Kuala Lumpur airliner was shot down on July 17, 2014, from Ukrainian territory held by separatist rebels using a Buk missile system delivered from Russia. Moscow denies any involvement in the MH17 tragedy.
The Netherlands and Australian governments brought the case against Moscow before the Montreal-based global aviation agency in 2022, and on Tuesday welcomed the verdict.
Council finds that Russia violated the Chicago Convention
The council found that Russia had violated the Convention on International Civil Aviation, known as the Chicago Convention, which requires that states "refrain from resorting to the use of weapons against civil aircraft in flight."
It's the first time that the council, which represents 193 member states, has decided a dispute between governments.
Dutch Foreign Minister Caspar Veldkamp said that the council would consider the question of reparations within weeks.
"In that context, the Netherlands and Australia are requesting that the ICAO Council order the Russian Federation to enter into negotiations with the Netherlands and Australia, and that the Council facilitate this process," Veldkamp said in a statement.
"The latter is important in order to ensure that the negotiations are conducted in good faith and according to specific timelines, and that they will yield actual results," he added.
Dutch father Thomas Schansman, who lost his son in the disaster, said the ICAO decision makes it clear Russia was responsible for the tragedy and could lead to compensation, but that he and other relatives mostly want the country to acknowledge its culpability.
"Money cannot buy anything back," he told The Associated Press.
Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong urged the council to move swiftly to "determine remedies."
"We call on Russia to finally face up to its responsibility for its horrific act of violence and make reparations for its egregious conduct, as required under international law," Wong said in a statement.
Russia rejects the council's findings
Speaking to journalists Tuesday, the Kremlin rejected the investigation's results as "biased."
"Russia did not take part in the investigation of this incident and therefore we will not accept these biased conclusions," said Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov.
Australian National University international law expert Don Rothwell said that the council had yet to publish the reasons for its decisions.
"One of the consequences for this process will be that the council will probably make some recommendations that Russia pay what are called reparations, which is an international term for damages, as a result of its violation of international law," Rothwell said.
"So we have to wait and see exactly what the council finds on that particular point," Rothwell added.
__
By ROD McGUIRK Associated Press
Source: Courthouse News Service
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Sun
an hour ago
- The Sun
EU proposes lowering Russia oil price cap in new sanctions
BRUSSELS: The European Union on Tuesday proposed slashing a price cap on Russia's global oil exports, as part of a new package of sanctions over the Ukraine war. The move comes ahead of a G7 summit in Canada next week where allies will push US President Donald Trump to be more aggressive in punishing the Kremlin. 'We are ramping up pressure on Russia, because strength is the only language that Russia will understand,' European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen said. 'Our message is very clear, this war must end. We need a real ceasefire, and Russia has to come to the negotiating table with a serious proposal.' The European Commission, the EU's executive, suggested cutting the current oil price cap from $60 to $45 as Moscow drags its feet on a ceasefire in Ukraine. The cap is a G7 initiative aimed at limiting the amount of money Russia makes by exporting oil to countries across the world. The oil price cap, set at $60 by the G7 in 2022, is designed to limit the price Moscow can sell oil around the world by banning shipping firms and insurance companies dealing with Russia to export above that amount. To have most impact the EU and other G7 partners need to get the United States to follow suit and agree to the cut in the level. But Trump so far has frustrated Western allies by refusing to impose sanctions on Russia despite President Vladimir Putin's failure to agree a Ukraine ceasefire. 'My assumption is that we do that together as G7,' von der Leyen said. 'We have started that as G7, it was successful as a measure from the G7, and I want to continue this measure as G7.' European leaders last month threatened Moscow with 'massive' sanctions if it did not agree a truce, but there has been no major progress in US-led peace efforts. 'Russia lies about its desire for peace. Putin is taking the world for a ride. Together with the United States, we can really force Putin to negotiate seriously,' EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said. As part of its 18th round of sanctions since Russia's 2022 invasion, the EU also proposed measures to stop the defunct Nord Stream gas pipelines from being brought back online. Officials said they would also look to target some 70 more vessels in the 'shadow fleet' of ageing tankers used by Russia to circumvent oil export curbs. The EU in addition is looking to sever ties with a further 22 Russian banks and add more companies, including in China, to a blacklist of those helping Moscow's military. One EU diplomat described the latest proposals as 'one of the most substantive and significant packages we've discussed recently'. 'It will hurt Russia's ability to finance its war machine. Now let's see how the discussions evolve.' The sanctions will need to be agreed by all 27 EU countries, and could face opposition from Moscow-friendly countries Hungary and Slovakia.
The Star
2 hours ago
- The Star
Germany urges Dutch to crack down on citizens' border checks
FILE PHOTO: Germany's Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt and Sinan Selen, Vice-President of the German Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution (not pictured), attend a press conference to present the 'Constitution Protection Report 2024' in Berlin, Germany June 10, 2025. REUTERS/Fabrizio Bensch/File Photo BERLIN (Reuters) -Germany's interior minister and the head of its federal police union on Tuesday criticised unofficial border checks by citizens in the Netherlands, saying they expected decisive action from the Dutch authorities to stamp out such practices. A group of citizens carried out their own checks near the northern Dutch town of Ter Apel on Saturday evening, stopping vehicles to look for asylum seekers, local broadcaster RTV Noord reported on Sunday. The news comes a few days after Dutch far-right leader Geert Wilders toppled the ruling coalition in a dispute over migration policy. While Wilders' party only shared power in the government, his anti-immigration views have shaped Dutch policy for decades. The Netherlands has some of the European Union's toughest policies on asylum and immigration. German Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt said on Tuesday there was no legal basis for the citizens' action. "I believe we will indeed take another look at this if this phenomenon continues ... I also assume that the authorities will end such measures," Dobrindt, who introduced stricter border controls and immediate rejections for asylum seekers last month, said in an emailed statement to Reuters. The head of Germany's Federal Police Union, Andreas Rosskopf, said the Dutch authorities' reaction had been "a bit too little", and urged greater efforts to avoid escalation. "It must be clear that citizens without legal authority have no right to intervene, to monitor, and ultimately to carry out the tasks of the security authorities, the police authorities," Rosskopf told journalists. Dutch broadcaster RTL reported that police found no criminal offence when they arrived at the scene. Caretaker Dutch Justice Minister David van Weel said citizens' frustration was understandable but that they must not take the law into their own hands. "Let the police and military police do their job," he said on social media platform X on Sunday. Dutch immigration has slowed significantly from a peak in 2022. The Netherlands received almost two first-time asylum applications per 1,000 inhabitants in 2024, slightly below the EU average, according to Eurostat data. (Reporting by Riham Alkousaa, Markus Wacket in Berlin, and Anthony Deutsch in Amsterdam. Editing by Mark Potter)
The Sun
7 hours ago
- The Sun
Australian PM blasts targeting of journalist in LA unrest
SYDNEY: Australia's prime minister on Tuesday denounced the 'horrific' shooting of a rubber bullet at an Australian television reporter covering unrest in Los Angeles. Australian 9News reporter Lauren Tomasi was hit in the leg by a rubber bullet on Sunday while reporting on live television. Her employer said she was sore but unharmed. 'She is going ok. She is pretty resilient, I have got to say, but that footage was horrific,' Prime Minister Anthony Albanese told reporters after speaking to Tomasi. Albanese said the reporter could reasonably have expected not to be 'targeted' with a rubber bullet while doing her job in Los Angeles. The footage showed she was 'clearly identified' as a member of the media, with 'no ambiguity', he said. 'We don't find it acceptable that it occurred, and we think the role of the media is particularly important.' Albanese said his government had raised the incident with the US administration but he would not comment on any future discussion with US President Donald Trump. Trump ordered 700 US Marines and 2,000 more National Guard troops to Los Angeles on Monday after days of street protests sparked by dozens of immigration arrests.
