Netherlands To File Case With ECHR Against Russia Over MH17 Crash - Government

MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 10th July, 2020) The Netherlands will file a case against Russia with the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) on the crash of MH17 flight in 2014, the country's government said Friday.

"Today, the Dutch government decided to bring Russia before the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) for its role in the downing of Flight MH17," the Dutch government said in a press release.

Malaysia Airlines Flight MH17 crashed on July 17, 2014, in eastern Ukraine on its way to Kuala Lumpur from Amsterdam. All 298 people aboard died. Kiev blamed the crash on regional militias, which said they had no weapons that would be able to hit a target at such height.

The Joint Investigative Team (JIT), which is looking into the case believes that the Boeing was shot down from with a weapon belonging to a Russian military unit. JIT, headed by the Dutch prosecutors, does not include Russian representatives.

Russia has said that it gave the Netherlands radar data and documents proving that the missile that hit the plane belonged to Ukraine and was launched from the territory controlled by Kiev. However, this information was not taken into account. The Russian Foreign Ministry has called the JIT accusations against Russia one-sided and regrettable.