ICAO described Russia as responsible for shooting down MH17 flight, calling for compensation negotiations for victims and their families.
Russia is responsible for shooting down the Malaysian airline aircraft (MH17 flight) over the East of Ukraine in July 2014, which killed 298 people. This was announced on Monday by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), TASR reports according to Tuesday’s reports of AFP and Reuters.
The Malaysian airline aircraft (MH17 flight) heading from Amsterdam to the Malaysian metropolis Kuala Lumpur crashed in July 2014 after flying over East Ukraine, where at that time there were fighting between Ukrainian units and pro -Russian separatists at that time. Boeing 777 crashed in the Donetsk region. He was hit by a shot from the Russian BUK launcher.
ICAO decision
All 298 people on board – 283 passengers and 15 crew members died. Among the victims were 196 Dutch, 43 Malaysians and 38 Australians. In addition, there were also 17 countries on board a shot down plane.
ICAO announced on Monday that Russia is responsible for shooting down the aircraft. Its decision was also informed by the governments of the Netherlands and Australia, which contacted this UN body in 2022. ICAO, according to the statement of Canberry and Amsterdam, will consider what form of compensation is appropriate in the coming weeks, although it has limited jurisdiction in this respect.
The Netherlands and Australia respond
The Dutch and Australian government welcomed the decision of this body and wants ICAO to order Russia to start negotiations on compensation, said Dutch Foreign Minister Caspar Veldkamp. “This decision is an important step towards finding out the truth and achieving justice and responsibility for all victims of the MH17 flight and their families and loved ones,” said Veldkamp. “It is also a clear signal for the International Community: States cannot impose international law with impunity,” he added.
Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong also appealed to ICAO to urgently take corrective measures. “We call on Russia to finally face its responsibility for this terrible violent act and compensate for its terrible behavior, as required by international law,” Wong said.
In November 2022, the Dutch court condemned two Russians and one Ukrainian for their role in the attack. They were recognized for the murder and intentional cause of the plane crash and received lifelong prison penalties. Moscow described the judgment as “scandalous” and announced that it would not issue its citizens.
