After a long investigation, it was declared today that The Netherlands officially holds Russia liable for MH17. Here are the main conclusions of the investigation and what could be expected next.
The final verdict on MH17
After a thorough investigation, The Netherlands and Australia together have declared that they will hold Russia liable for the downing of flight MH17. The government has just made this decision and has informed Russia of the ruling.
On the 17th of July, 2014 a Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur was shot down over eastern Ukraine. All 298 people on board the plane were killed, including 196 Dutch citizens. After the fatal accident, a Joint Investigation Team was made up of the five countries most affected by this accident. This investigation team includes the Netherlands, Australia, Belgium, Malaysia and Ukraine. After years of investigation, the team concluded that the Buk missile with which MH17 was shot down came from an installation of a brigade of the Russian army. With this discovery, The Netherlands officially holds Russia liable for MH17.
Russia is now officially responsible
The Dutch and Australian government are now convinced that Russia is responsible for the use of the Buk installation. Therefore, The Netherlands and Australia will begin with legal actions against Russia together.
In a statement by Minister Blok, he explains that the downing of MH17 has caused irreparable suffering to many families. Therefore, the next steps are aiming to bring justice to the victims. He emphasizes that the Netherlands has the support of the international community for this.
However, holding a country liable is a complex legal process. The Netherlands and Australia have asked Russia to discuss a solution, however, there is no official response from Russia as of yet. The next step would be submitting an appeal to an international judge or organization. At this point it is important for Russia to cooperate in order to unveil the full truth behind what happened on the 17th of July.
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