The Independent (UK)
Europe’s top human rights court delivered damning judgments on Wednesday against Russia, finding Moscow responsible for widespread violations of international law in Ukraine and the shooting down of Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 in 2014.
Judges at the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) 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.
The 501-page ruling by the Strasbourg court 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.
Downing of flight MH17
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 ECHR 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 Flight MH17 in a separate case.
Read more
