Latest news with #MH17
The Star
6 days ago
- Business
- The Star
How Jordan's national airline navigates war-torn zones
For years, Jordan's national carrier has been forced to seek safer flight routes due to the conflicts happening just beyond its borders. — Pixabay Wedged between the Middle East's most embattled conflict zones, Jordan has long learned to navigate military strife. For the kingdom's national airline, that means studying missile flight paths to redirect its aircraft, sometimes with just moments to respond. Such experience has allowed Royal Jordanian Airlines to keep its fleet of about two dozen aircraft operating, even as large swaths of air space in the region shut down while Israel and Iran traded missiles in the past two weeks. Iraq, Israel and, Syria – which all border on Jordan – and even the Gulf states closed their skies at certain points in recent days, disrupting operations for major airlines and leaving passengers and aircraft dislocated as the region's aviation network froze. 'Those missile paths were quite well known,' chief executive officer Samer Al Majali said in an interview from Amman. 'Sometimes the warning is in minutes and sometimes the warning is several hours ahead. That's how it's dealt with.' While Jordan has managed to stay out of a direct confrontation, the country of about 11 million people has borne the brunt of the armed conflict raging just outside its borders, from Israel's strikes on Hamas since late 2023 to years of civil war in Syria. That's forced the carrier to seek safer aircraft passages that take longer, sometimes doubling flight times and driving up operating costs, Al Majali said. The threat of missile strikes has become a brutal reality for the aviation industry, including the downing of a Malaysia Airlines aircraft (MH17) over Ukraine in 2014 that killed almost 300 people on board. An Azerbaijan Airlines passenger jet was hit with what was likely a Russian surface-to-air missile approaching Grozny in late 2024, killing 38 people. Qatar closed down its air space for several hours recently after Iran fired missiles at a US base in the country. The move left tens of thousands of passengers in the region out of position, throwing operations at Qatar's main airport into chaos. Royal Jordanian's earnings took a hit after people started cancelling flights in late 2023. Leisure travel has dropped as tourists worry that they might get stuck should air space closes down, Al Majali said. At one point in the last few weeks, Sweden's aviation authorities denied the airline's planes landing rights at Stockholm's main airport because they were coming from a perceived conflict zone, the CEO said. Beyond the threat from missiles, Royal Jordanian has had to grapple with so-called GPS spoofing – deliberate interference where false satellite signals disrupt aircraft navigation systems. As a result, an aircraft receives unreliable information, affecting multiple on-board operations, Al Majali said. In the past few weeks, sirens rang throughout the country when missiles from Iran passed through the skies of Jordan to reach Israel. Shrapnel and downed drones landed in the kingdom, injuring several people. The exchange of fire between Tehran and Tel Aviv has caused widespread aviation disruption since last year. Yet the recent airspace closures were the most consequential yet for air traffic in the region, also reaching Dubai, one of the busiest hubs in the world. Emirates and Qatar Airways handle a big portion of the traffic within the Middle East and are transfer points for long-haul travel between Asia, Europe and North America. – Bloomberg
CNA
6 days ago
- Politics
- CNA
Europe's top human rights court says Russia responsible for 2014 downing of Malaysia Airlines flight
STRASBOURG, France: A top European court on Wednesday (Jul 9) ruled Russia committed a string of human rights violations in backing anti-Kyiv separatists in eastern Ukraine from 2014, in the downing of the MH17 flight that year and in invading Ukraine in 2022. The European Court of Human Rights, part of the Council of Europe rights body, is tasked with implementing the European human rights convention in signatory countries. Wednesday's largely symbolic ruling comes after the Council of Europe excluded Russia following its invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, and Moscow dropped out of the European rights convention in September that year. The ECHR however still handles cases against Russia that were brought before that date. A panel of 17 judges found Russia violated the convention through "extrajudicial killing of civilians and Ukrainian military personnel" outside of combat, "torture", "forced labour", "unlawful and arbitrary detention of civilians" as well as looting. The judges also ruled that Russia had violated the European rights convention through "the transfer to Russia and, in many cases, the adoption there of Ukrainian children". The court said Russia "must without delay release or safely return all persons who were deprived of liberty on Ukrainian territory under occupation by the Russian and Russian-controlled forces." It added that Moscow should cooperate in the establishment of an international and independent mechanism to help identify "all children transferred from Ukraine to Russia and Russian-controlled territory" before September 2022 to restore contact between them and their families, and enable their safe reunification. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov on Wednesday said Russia had no intention of complying with the decision of the court, whose rulings it considered to be "null and void". "HISTORIC" The court issued its verdict in response to four complaints. Ukraine had filed three of these over events from 2014 to 2022, and the Netherlands had filed a fourth over the downing over eastern Ukraine of Malaysia Airlines Flight MH17 flight from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur on July 17, 2014. The UN's aviation agency has blamed Moscow for the tragedy that killed all 298 on board. The ECHR found that "the suffering of the next of kin of the victims of the downing of flight MH17" violated the right to freedom from torture and punishment. Ukraine celebrated what it said was a "historic decision". Its justice ministry said the court's recognition of "systematic and widespread human rights violations committed by Russia" was a "victory on the international stage". Dutch Prime Minister Dick Schoof said it was "an important step toward justice". "The court has designated Russia as responsible for the downing of MH17 and the death of its passengers, including 196 Dutch nationals," he said. Piet Ploeg, who lost his brother, step-sister and nephew in the tragedy, said it was an "important day". "I don't think Russia will pay anything but it is not about money today," he said. "It is about getting justice and recognition and maybe getting apologies... You never know." Usually individuals file cases at Europe's top human rights court, appealing to it as a last resort in cases where they have exhausted all domestic legal avenues.
The Star
6 days ago
- Politics
- The Star
European court finds Russia responsible for MH17 downing, human rights violations in Ukraine
THE HAGUE, Netherlands (AP): Europe's top human rights court has delivered damning judgments against Russia, finding Moscow responsible for widespread violations of international law in Ukraine and the shooting down of Malaysia Airlines Flight MH17 in 2014. Judges at the European Court of Human Rights on Wednesday (July 9) issued judgements in four cases brought by Kyiv and the Netherlands accusing Moscow of atrocities in Ukraine dating back more than a decade. They include the murder, torture, rape and destruction of civilian infrastructure and kidnapping of Ukrainian children. It's the first time an international court has concluded there have been widespread human rights abuses by Russian forces in Ukraine. The 501-page ruling combined four complaints – three stemming from the separatist conflict that broke out in eastern Ukraine in 2014, and one linked to alleged violations of international law following the invasion. In all four cases, the court's 17 judges unanimously found Russian forces breached international humanitarian law. One of the complaints was brought by the Netherlands in connection with the downing of MH17 over separatist-controlled eastern Ukraine. It is the first time an international court has held Russia responsible for the tragedy in which 298 people died. The Boeing 777 flying from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur was shot down on July 17, 2014, using a Russian-made Buk missile fired from territory in eastern Ukraine controlled by separatist rebels loyal to Moscow. Among the victims were 196 Dutch citizens. The judges found that Russia's refusal to acknowledge its involvement in the disaster also violated international law. Russia's failure to properly investigate it "significantly aggravated the suffering" of the relatives and friends of the dead. In 2022, a criminal court in the Netherlands convicted two Russians and a Ukrainian rebel in absentia of multiple murders for their roles in the downing of MH17 in a separate case. The ECHR is an important part of the Council of Europe, which is the continent's foremost human rights institution. Founded in 1949 and headquartered in Strasbourg, France, the Council of Europe is an international organisation dedicated to promoting human rights, democracy, and the rule of law. It has 46 member states. The organisation expelled Moscow in 2022 in response to the invasion of Ukraine. However, the court can still deal with cases against Russia dating from before its expulsion and, legally, the country is still obliged to participate in the proceedings. The rulings won't be the last from the ECHR dealing with the war. Kyiv has other cases pending against Russia and there are nearly 10,000 cases brought by individuals against the Kremlin. The court will rule on financial compensation at a later date, but Russia's expulsion leaves little hope that damages will ever be collected. Typically, judges at the ECHR award damages to victims for financial loss or hardship suffered when their rights were violated. The court ordered Russia to pay millions of dollars in compensation to Georgia for a swath of violations after the 2008 Russia-Georgia war. That money has never been handed over. In 2023, more than 40 nations and the Council of Europe agreed to set up a system to tally the destruction Russia has inflicted on Ukraine in the hope of getting reparations. The Hague-based Register of Damage for Ukraine, also known as RD4U, began accepting claims last year. Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy last month formally approved plans to set up a new international court to prosecute senior Russian officials for the invasion of Ukraine. The special tribunal will be created through an agreement between Ukraine and the Council of Europe. It aims to target senior Russian leaders for the "crime of aggression," which underpins the countless war crimes Ukraine accuses Russian forces of committing since the start of the war. Existing international courts, including the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague, lack the jurisdiction to prosecute Russian nationals for that specific offence. The ICC has multiple outstanding arrest warrants for Russian officials for war crimes. They include President Vladimir Putin, who is accused of personal responsibility for the abductions of children from Ukraine. – AP
Mint
6 days ago
- Politics
- Mint
Russia responsible for downing of Malaysian Airlines flight MH17, European court rules
Europe's top human rights court has ruled that Russia is responsible for the shooting down of Malaysian Airlines flight MH17 in 2014 and for committing widespread human rights abuses in Ukraine. In a unanimous decision on Wednesday, the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) found that Russia had carried out 'indiscriminate military attacks,' 'summary executions of civilians,' and acts of torture, including the use of rape as a weapon of war. The court also said Moscow was guilty of the unjustified displacement and transfer of civilians, among other serious violations. The ECHR, which is based in Strasbourg, is the judicial arm of the Council of Europe. Russia was expelled from the Council in 2022 following its full-scale invasion of Ukraine. The following year, Russia's parliament voted to withdraw from the ECHR's jurisdiction. Ahead of the ruling, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov dismissed the court's authority, saying: 'We consider them null and void.' In its ruling, the ECHR said: "Taken as a whole, the vast volume of evidence before the Court presented a picture of interconnected practices of manifestly unlawful conduct by agents of the Russian State (Russian armed forces and other authorities, occupying administrations, and separatist armed groups and entities) on a massive scale across Ukraine." The ruling concerned four consolidated cases, one of which involved Malaysian Airlines flight MH17, which departed Amsterdam for Kuala Lumpur in July 2014 and was shot down over eastern Ukraine amid fighting between Ukrainian forces and pro-Russian separatists. All 298 people on board the plane died. Moscow denies any responsibility for MH17's downing and in 2014 denied any presence in Ukraine. The ECHR ruled that Russia had failed to conduct an adequate investigation into the incident, to cooperate with requests for information or provide legal remedies for survivors. Its lack of cooperation and continued denial of any involvement has caused additional suffering for the victims' relatives, the court said. Responding to the ruling, Dutch Foreign Minister Caspar Veldkamp said: "Nothing can take away this suffering and grief, but I hope the verdict offers a sense of justice and recognition." A majority of those on the airliner were Dutch. The other three cases covered by Wednesday's ruling were brought by Ukraine, over pro-Russian separatists accused of abducting groups of Ukrainian children and transferring them to Russia, and over alleged patterns of human rights violations during Russia's war in Ukraine, now in its fourth year. Ukraine's Justice Ministry, in a statement on the Telegram messaging app, hailed the ECHR ruling as "one of the most important in the practice of interstate cases". The court is expected to rule in due course on possible damages and compensation but it has no way of enforcing its rulings, especially on a country that no longer recognises its jurisdiction, meaning Wednesday's verdict is mainly symbolic. (With inputs from Reuters)
Washington Post
6 days ago
- Politics
- Washington Post
European court finds Russia downed MH17, committed rights violations in Ukraine
Europe's human rights court on Wednesday unanimously found Russia responsible for downing Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 and for 'widespread and flagrant abuses of human rights' in Ukraine from 2014 onward, including summary executions and the transfer of children to Russia. The European Court of Human Rights said Russia's pattern of human rights violations also included indiscriminate military attacks; torture, notably rape as a weapon of war; and the intimidation and persecution of journalists and religious groups.
