EU Reiterates Strong Support for MH17 Crash Victims’ Justice on the 9th Anniversary

On July 17, 2023, marking the ninth anniversary of the MH17 flight tragedy, the European Union (EU) reaffirmed its unwavering commitment to seeking justice for the 298 victims and their families. In a recent statement, the Council of the EU expressed its full support for all efforts to establish the truth and hold those responsible accountable, in accordance with United Nations Security Council Resolution 2166.

Earlier, on June 23, 2023, the EU took a significant step by listing two individuals actively involved in military maneuvers against Ukraine since the occupation of Crimea in 2014. These individuals have been associated with the downing of the Malaysia Airlines Boeing 777-200ER. Notably, in November 2022, a District Court Judge in The Hague, the Netherlands, sentenced three people, including the EU’s listed individuals, in connection with the MH17 incident, while one suspect was acquitted of all charges.

The EU’s statement emphasizes the importance of evidence presented by the Joint Investigative Team during the proceedings before the Dutch District Court and the European Court of Human Rights. This evidence clearly indicates that the BUK installation responsible for bringing down Flight MH17 belonged unequivocally to the armed forces of the Russian Federation.

Moreover, the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) had previously confirmed Russia’s involvement in shooting down the aircraft over Ukraine. The court’s ruling was part of the Netherlands v. Russia case in January 2023.

In a related development, the United Nations International Court of Justice (ICJ) held two hearings in June 2023, inviting representatives from Ukraine and Russia to comment on the case concerning the “Application of the International Convention for the Suppression of the Financing of Terrorism (ICSFT) and of the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination (Ukraine v. Russian Federation).”

During these hearings, a Ukrainian representative referred to Russia as a “terrorist state,” while a lawyer representing Russia dismissed accusations about the country supplying the BUK systems used in the MH17 downing as “fiction.”

The EU’s renewed support and the ongoing legal proceedings demonstrate the international community’s commitment to seeking justice and accountability for the tragic loss of MH17 and its passengers.