A Malaysian Airline Boeing was shot down and crashed in Ukraine.

[PressForNirvana]

Downed MH17 aircraft nearly hit village in rebel-held eastern Ukraine, video shows

Footage taken by villagers shortly after downing also shows they thought the plane was a Ukrainian military aircraft that had been shot down

PUBLISHED : Monday, 17 November, 2014, 9:21pm
UPDATED : Tuesday, 18 November, 2014, 3:05am

Associated Press in Hrabove

Men stand near the burning wreckage of MH17. Photo: AP

Four months after Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 was shot down over rebel-held eastern Ukraine, a video has emerged that shows how close the burning passenger jet came to hitting village homes and suggests that residents first assumed it was a Ukrainian military plane that had been struck.

The amateur footage, filmed by a resident of the village of Hrabove, shows people reacting in alarm as wreckage blazes only a few metres away from their homes on the afternoon of July 17. The video is perhaps the first taken immediately after the plane came down.

<iframe width="560" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/_wlQ0nTtxcE?rel=0&amp;showinfo=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

The ultimate cause of the disaster is the subject of major diplomatic disputes. Ukraine and Western governments say Russia-backed separatist fighters fired the rockets that felled the plane, while state-run television in Moscow over the weekend produced evidence it claims places blame with Ukraine's air force.

All 298 people on board the Boeing 777 flying from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur were killed. Charred remains of the aircraft are scattered around fields over an area of 20 square kilometres.

Workers on Sunday began collecting debris from the crash site, under the supervision of Dutch investigators and officials from the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe. .

In the video obtained on Sunday, residents of Hrabove can be heard asking about the whereabouts of the pilot. This is significant because multiple Ukrainian military planes had been shot down by this time, and their pilots and crew regularly taken prisoner by rebel forces.

Three days before MH17 was brought down, rebels claimed responsibility for shooting down an Antonov-24 military transport plane.

The reaction of villagers in the video suggests their immediate assessment was that another Ukrainian plane had been struck.

One person can be heard to say: "And where is the pilot?"

Another person answers: "Who the hell knows?"

In another exchange, a person is heard questioning whether more than one plane had crashed, since there was so much debris. People around him quickly correct him to say only one aircraft had come down.

The account favoured by most Western governments is that the plane was brought down by an SA-11 missile launcher - also known as a Buk - fired by rebels. US government officials have said the Russians might have provided technical help to the rebels to operate the system.

The separatists have denied any involvement.

But just three hours before MH17 was downed, a Buk reportedly passed through the rebel-held town of Snizhne near where the plane was downed. A highly placed rebel officer said after the disaster that the plane had been shot down by a mixed team of rebels and Russian military personnel who believed they were targeting a Ukrainian military plane.

Separatist officials also bragged in a June 29 report carried by Russia's Tass news agency that they had received some Buk missile systems from Ukrainian stocks.

Moscow has vehemently denied it has provided any military hardware to rebel forces, and since the Malaysia Airlines incident has advanced several alternative theories about the plane's fate.

Over the weekend, Russian state television released a satellite photograph it claims shows that a Ukrainian fighter jet shot down MH17.

The photo released by Russia's Channel One and Rossiya TV stations purportedly shows a Ukrainian fighter plane firing an air-to-air missile in the direction of the plane.

But several bloggers said the photograph was a forgery, citing a cloud pattern to prove the photo dates back to 2012. Others noted that the commercial plane in the photo appears to be of a different type, a Boeing 767.

 

[PressForNirvana]

MH17 probe asks if Dutch secret service warned of danger over Ukraine

Date January 7, 2015 - 7:18AM

Debris from the MH17 plane crash outside the village of Grabovka in Donetsk, Ukraine, in August.

Debris from the MH17 plane crash outside the village of Grabovka in Donetsk, Ukraine, in August. Photo: Kate Geraghty

The Hague: The Netherlands wants to know whether its intelligence services warned airlines of danger when flying over war-torn Ukraine prior to the downing of flight MH17 in July, officials say.

Dutch officials are leading the probe into what brought down the Malaysia Airlines Boeing 777 over Ukraine and killed 298 people aboard, most of them Dutch, as well as why the flight route had been given the all-clear. There were 38 Australian citizens and residents on the flight.,

The Dutch safety board in charge of both inquiries asked the Intelligence and Security Services Oversight Committee (CTIVD) to investigate what assessment the domestic intelligence agency (AIVD) and military intelligence service (MIVD) made of flight routes over Ukraine ahead of the July 17 disaster.

"What information did the two services have prior to the MH17 crash about the security situation in eastern Ukraine, and how did they share this information with relevant aviation parties? What were the reasons for doing/not doing so?" the CTIVD said on its website.

The MH17 flight from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur was shot down over territory in eastern Ukraine controlled by pro-Russian separatists, who have been fighting Kiev forces since April.

Ukraine and the West accuse Russia of supplying the rebels with a surface-to-air missile launcher, but Russia has said a Ukrainian military jet was responsible for the crash.

Three other commercial planes were flying in the vicinity of the Malaysia Airlines flight - two Boeing 777s and an Airbus 330 - when it was shot down.

AFP

 

[HighwayStar]

http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/jul/29/-sp-ukraine-rebel-igor-bezler-interview-demon

Ukrainian rebel says I wont hesitate to have you shot.

.................

 

[PressToTeleport]

MH17 response: data on flight risks over conflict zones to be shared

Date February 4, 2015 - 3:06PM

One of the seats from Flight MH17 on the outskirts of Rassypnoe village in Ukraine. Photo: Kate Geraghty

Montreal: The International Civil Aviation Organisation will collect all data on flight risks over conflict zones and disseminate the information to airlines.

The measure is a response to the crash of Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 in July 2014, which was shot down over eastern Ukraine, killing 298 people, including 38 Australian citizens and residents.

Kiev and the West have claimed the airliner was shot down in the conflict-torn area by separatist fighters using a surface-to-air missile supplied by Russia. Moscow denies the charges, pointing the finger at Kiev.

At a meeting in Montreal of the aviation organisation's 191 member states and aviation leaders on Tuesday, experts proposed creating a system to store all risk information.

Though the repository would contain much of the data that is currently available to carriers, this is often fragmented. The proposed system would include information from an array of sources, such as from nations' intelligence services.

The Malaysian delegation noted that the MH17 crash could have occurred to any of the commercial aircrafts that flew over eastern Ukraine that same fateful day.

However Russia clashed with Europe and the US, with a a senior Russian official telling the gathering that a centralised information-sharing system posed legal risks that could only be addressed by a full meeting of all 191 member states in 2016.

Russia said monthly notices to pilots, known as Notices to Airmen or NOTAM, were sufficient to warn carriers of risks.

"I think it would reflect on us very badly .... if we did not see these ideas through to delivery," Patricia Hayes, Britain's top aviation official, told an ICAO safety conference.

Speaking for the European Union, the Netherlands, which lost 196 citizens on MH17, said there was no need to delay setting up an information-sharing prototype.

ICAO's chairman said most members supported the scheme, but a final decision is not expected until later this year.

Earlier on Tuesday, aviation leaders rallied behind a tight deadline to improve the tracking of passenger planes in a push to prevent a recurrence of the still unsolved disappearance of Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370.

Britain, China and the United States backed ICAO proposals for further tracking guidelines that would apply from November 2016, an accelerated timetable in the often laborious process of aviation regulation.

Aircraft would have to send their position at least every 15 minutes, or more often in case of emergency, but it would be up to each state to decide how and when to implement this.

Malaysia said it was "unacceptable" that an aircraft or its recorders could be lost, decades after satellites were invented.

AFP, Reuters

 

[PressToTeleport]

Plane brings human remains from MH17 site

Last updated 07:25, February 8 2015

NOT SO SUNNY SCENE: Sunflowers grow around the wreckage and debris at the crash site of Malaysia Airlines Flight MH17 near the village of Hrabove (Grabovo), Donetsk region. REUTERS

A military transport plane has flown a coffin carrying human remains recovered from the crash site of Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 back to the Netherlands.

The remains were recovered in recent days from eastern Ukraine along with parts of the wreckage of the Boeing 777 that was downed on July 17.

Forensic experts have so far identified the remains of all but three of the 298 people killed when the plane was brought down by what authorities suspect was a surface-to-air missile.

Among those killed were 38 Australian citizens and residents.

- AAP

 

[PressToTeleport]

MH17 attackers will still face justice despite peace deal 'amnesty': Julie Bishop

Date February 13, 2015 - 6:31PM
Daniel Flitton

Wreckage of the MH17 in a field in eastern Ukraine. Photo: Kate Geraghty

Foreign Minister Julie Bishop has hailed a "breakthrough" ceasefire in eastern Ukraine, but does not expect the deal to stymie efforts to bring the MH17 attackers to justice.

Russia has distributed text of the agreement, which includes a pledge of "amnesty" to prohibit punishment for "events that took place in certain areas of the Donetsk and Luhansk regions of Ukraine".

It was this region that the Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 was brought down in July 2014.

Ms Bishop welcomed news of the ceasefire, hammered out on Thursday by leaders of Ukraine, Russia, Germany and France in the Belarus capital Minsk.

She said Australia would seek clarification from Ukraine but believed the deal would have "no impact on the ability to bring the perpetrators of the downing of MH17 to justice".

Ms Bishop described the ceasefire and agreement to withdraw heavy weapons from the conflict zone as a breakthrough.

Russia is widely accused of orchestrating a proxy war in eastern Ukraine, following the annexation of Crimea last year.

Ms Bishop praised German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Francois Hollande for their efforts in the peace talks, and said Australia supported the territorial integrity of Ukraine.

"We'll judge the commitment of Russia and the separatists to peace by their actions," Ms Bishop said.

The Russian text, translated to English by Reuters, says the parties agree to an "immediate and comprehensive ceasefire in certain areas of the Donetsk and Luhansk regions of Ukraine" from midnight February 15.

The 13-point agreement also says parties will "ensure pardoning and amnesty by enacting a law prohibiting persecution and punishment of persons in connection with events that took place in certain areas of the Donetsk and Luhansk regions of Ukraine".

 

[PressToTeleport]

Fragment from MH17 crash site supports missile theory, says Dutch broadcaster

PUBLISHED : Friday, 20 March, 2015, 4:52pm
UPDATED : Friday, 20 March, 2015, 4:54pm

Reuters in Amsterdam

Members of the media film wreckage from the Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 laid out in a hangar at Gilze-Rijen airbase, in the southern Netherlands. Photo: AFP

A metal fragment from the crash site of Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 matches a surface-to-air BUK rocket, a Dutch broadcaster said on Thursday, supporting a theory that the plane was downed by pro-Russian separatists in eastern Ukraine.

The fragment was recovered by a Dutch journalist from the village of Hrabove several months ago near to where the plane was brought down last July, killing all 298 passengers and crew.


Dutch broadcaster RTL said it had had the shrapnel tested by international forensic experts, including defence analysts IHS Jane’s in London, who said it matched the explosive charge of a BUK, a Russian-made anti-aircraft missile system.

The downing of the plane was a turning point in the conflict in Ukraine, which pits the separatists against Kiev’s forces. Kiev and its Western supporters blamed the rebels for the incident and it stiffened the resolve of Western governments to impose sanctions against both leading separatists and Moscow.

Russia has argued that the airplane was downed by the Ukrainian military.

The Dutch Safety Board, which is investigating the cause of the crash, said in a reaction that its investigation was in “full progress and focuses on many more sources than only the shrapnel”.

In preliminary conclusions published last year, the board said the plane had been hit by high velocity projectiles but did not specify the source.

“Additional investigation material is welcome, but it is imperative that it can be indisputably shown that there is a relationship between the material and the downed aircraft,” it said in a statement on Thursday.

 

[PressForNirvana]

MH17 plane fragment to be displayed by Russian museum: reports

Date April 16, 2015 - 9:33AM
Nick Miller
Europe Correspondent

A fragment of Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 will be put on display despite investigators seeking all debris to find out why it crashed.

Debris from the MH17 plane crash outside the village of Grabovka in Donetsk, Ukraine, in August last year.

Debris from the MH17 plane crash outside the village of Grabovka in Donetsk, Ukraine, in August last year. Photo: Kate Geraghty

A Russian museum plans to put on show a fragment of flight MH17, shot down over Ukraine last year, as part of an exhibition marking 70 years since the Soviet Union's victory in World War II, according to local reports.

Several online reports in Russia picked up on the article in local newspaper The Council of the Azov Region.

According to the article, a fragment of the Malaysia Airlines Boeing 777 was found by locals from the Ukraine town of Rassypnoye near where the plane fell.

An image of a man holding a fragment of MH17. Photo: Supplied

They gave it to the Russian veterans' group Combat Brotherhood, in gratitude for their sending supplies such as food, clothing and medicine.

It will be delivered to Yeisk, a town on the shores of the Azov Sea, where it will go on show in a Combat Brotherhood-themed exhibition, to open in a new museum on the 70th anniversary of the Soviet Union's victory in Europe.

Radio station Ekho Moskvy quoted a local representative of Combat Brotherhood saying the portion of the plane would be exhibited as "proof" that separatist fighters in Ukraine's Donetsk region did not shoot it down.

The newspaper article features a photo of a man holding a plane fragment with the Malaysia Airlines logo clearly visible.

MH17 was shot down over war-torn Ukraine in July last year, killing all 298 passengers and crew on board including 38 Australians.

Ekho Moskvy deputy editor Tatiana Felgenhauer tweeted that Dutch investigators, who have been gathering pieces of the wreckage in order to determine the cause of the crash, were shocked to hear that the wreckage had ended up in a Russian town.

They "asked how it was possible", she said.

Last Friday Dutch Deputy Prime Minister Lodewijk Asscher announced a new recovery mission to eastern Ukraine to search for more plane debris, human remains or personal belongings that may be left.

For the first time the team will be able to search the north-western area of the crash site, which has until now not been possible because it was deemed too dangerous due to fighting in the area – and it was "strewn with landmines", a Dutch officer told Reuters.

The precarious ceasefire in Ukraine's conflict has led to improved security, Mr Asscher said.

"It is possible that not everything will be found," he said. "Good agreements have been made with the local authorities in the event that something is found at a later date.

"Anything found during the present mission will be brought back to the Netherlands with the customary degree of ceremony."

The investigators hope to recover remains from the last two missing victims of the crash.

 

[PressToTeleport]

Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 fragment handed to investigators by Russian veterans group

Date April 20, 2015 - 11:29PM
Nick Miller
Europe Correspondent

Wreckage of the Malaysia Airlines flight MH17, which was shot down over Ukraine in July 2014, is laid out in a hangar on Gilze-Rijen airbase in the southern Netherlands. Photo: AFP

A fragment of Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 will be handed over to crash investigators, after a Russian veterans group cancelled plans to display it in a new museum dedicated to Soviet military victory.

According to Russian news reports, the fragment of the Boeing 777 had been delivered to the town of Yeisk in the Krasnodar region of southern Russia, for a new exhibition celebrating the end of World War 2.

Image of a man holding fragment of MH17 in a Russian newspaper. Photo: Supplied

Veterans group Combat Brotherhood said they intended the exhibit as 'proof' that Ukraine separatists did not shoot down the plane in July last year, killing all 298 passengers and crew on board including 38 Australians.

However, the move drew criticism from Dutch investigators who have been gathering wreckage of the plane to establish the cause of the crash.

The head of the Combat Brotherhood told Business Yeisk the fragment had been sent to them by locals at the crash site, in gratitude for humanitarian aid and "to deliver to the public the horrors taking place (in the region)".

However, the group had "realised that all the pieces of the aircraft are physical evidence", the news site reported, and decided to return it to Ukraine and recommend it be handed over to the international investigators.

 

[PressToTeleport]

Dutch investigators recover human remains from MH17 crash site

AFP
April 22, 2015, 9:01 pm

The Hague (AFP) - Dutch investigators have recovered "many" more body parts and pieces of wreckage after resuming their search at the MH17 plane crash site in Ukraine, the Netherlands said Wednesday.

All 298 passengers and crew onboard the Malaysia Airlines jetliner -- most of them Dutch -- died when it was shot down over rebel-held eastern Ukraine last year.

"Many human remains have been found in the first few days of this mission," the Dutch justice ministry said in a statement.

Investigators also recovered around 50 cubic metres (around 1,750 cubic feet) of plane wreckage as well as personal effects including jewellery, passports and photographs.

Everything that has been found will be taken to the Ukrainian city of Kharkiv and from there to the Netherlands.

The latest search operation started last week in Petropavlivka, about 10 kilometres (six miles) west of Grabove where most of the debris fell.

The Boeing 777 was flying at high altitude when it was shot down on July 17.

The remains of all but two victims, both Dutch, have been identified.

Kiev and the West claim that the plane was shot down by the separatists using a BUK surface-to-air missile supplied by Russia. Moscow denies the charges, pointing the finger at Kiev.

The Netherlands has been charged with leading the investigation into the cause of the incident and identifying the victims of the flight from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur.

 

[PressToTeleport]

Russian missile maker says BUK rocket downed MH17

AFP
June 3, 2015, 2:23 am

Moscow (AFP) - The Russian firm making missiles similar to the one the West claims downed Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 in Ukraine said on Tuesday the passenger jet was likely hit by a BUK missile system.

All 298 passengers and crew on board the Malaysia Airlines jetliner -- the majority of them Dutch -- died when it was shot down over rebel-held eastern Ukraine last year.

Officials from state-controlled missile producer Almaz-Antey said they could not pinpoint which side shot down the plane, but intimated that the Ukrainian army was responsible as they unveiled their own report into the incident based on publicly available photographs of the wreckage.

"The first stage of our analysis showed that the type of missile system used was a BUK-M1," company official Mikhail Malyshevsky said at a press conference, Russian news agencies reported.

Company officials said that the BUK-M1 missile had not been produced in Russia since 1999 and was in the arsenal of the Ukrainian armed forces.

Almaz-Antey alleged that the missile was probably fired from close to the village of Zaroshchenske to the south of the jet's flight path.

"We cannot comment on who was stationed there" at the time, company director Yan Novikov said.

Ukraine and the West have accused pro-Moscow rebels of shooting down the plane with a BUK missile supplied by Russia.

Russia's defence ministry has denied any involvement and pointed blame at either a Ukrainian missile system or another jet.

Dutch investigators have collected wreckage of the plane and are expected to release a final report into the cause of the crash by around October.

British citizen journalist group Bellingcat released a report on Sunday claiming to show the Russian defence ministry had doctored satellite images to bolster its claims.

 

[PressToTeleport]

MH17 victim's keepsakes stolen in Vic

AAP
June 26, 2015, 9:53 am

Treasured keepsakes that belonged to a nun who died in last year's MH17 plane crash have been stolen from a Melbourne home.

Heartless thieves ransacked an apartment in Richmond earlier this month, stealing personal items including treasured religious articles and jewellery that belonged to Sister Philomene Tiernan, who died when the Malaysian Airlines flight was shot down over eastern Ukraine last year.

Heartless thieves have stolen valuable keepsakes belonging to a nun who died in the MH17 tragedy. Photo: ABC file

Sister Philomene carried the items with her throughout her life as a Catholic nun and they were recovered from the crash site and returned to her sister by Malaysian Airlines just a few months ago, police say.

Heartless thieves have stolen treasured valuables belonging to a Sister Philomene Tiernan who was killed in last year's MH17 tragedy. Photo: Supplied

"These items are priceless in the eyes of this poor family but would mean almost nothing to the offenders ," Detective Senior Constable Andrew Luke said.

"It's heartbreaking for this family to have to go through something like this and now suffer even more."

The items were stolen between June 13 and 18 when the occupants, including Sister Philomene's sister, were on holiday.

Sister Philomene Tiernan (left) with Kincoppal-Rose Bay Principal Hilary Johnston-Croke. Photo: ABC file

Police are appealing to the thieves to drop off the items to a police station or for anyone with information to come forward.

 

[xpo2015]

[video=youtube_share;QQYkLLED6vI]https://youtu.be/QQYkLLED6vI[/video]

 

[steffychun]

Will a free Amos Yee help solve the case of MH17?

 

[PressToTeleport]

Published: Sunday June 28, 2015 MYT 1:57:00 PM
Updated: Sunday June 28, 2015 MYT 4:40:26 PM

MH17: MAS to settle payments to remaining next-of-kin soon, says Liow

by chan li leen

IPOH: Malaysia Airlines (MAS) will swiftly pay the families who have yet to be compensated for the deaths of their loved ones who were on-board flight MH17.

Transport Minister Datuk Seri Liow Tiong Lai (pic) said he hoped the payments could hopefully be made before the one-year anniversary of the tragedy.

“To my understanding, only a few families have not received their compensation.

“The reason being that we need to determine who are the rightful beneficiaries,” Liow told reporters after opening the Gopeng MCA division annual general meeting here on Sunday.

Flight MH17 was shot down over Ukrainian air space on July 17, last year.

All 298 people on board the flight were killed.

The plane was believed to have been shot down by a surface-to-air missile launched by pro-Russian forces in Ukrainian territory. Russia has, however, denied this.

The Netherlands whose citizens made up almost two-thirds of the victims is leading an international investigation into the disaster and has vowed to prosecute those responsible.
Liow also urged the United Nations (UN) and the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) to ensure justice for Malaysia by making sure investigators of the tragedy worked fast to come up with a report on the incident and identify the culprits responsible.

 

[PressToTeleport]

Published: Sunday June 28, 2015 MYT 7:05:00 PM
Updated: Sunday June 28, 2015 MYT 7:12:58 PM

MH17: One year on, families want probe expedited

Filepix shows a man looking at MAS planes at KLIA in Sepang

KUALA LUMPUR: Agony. That is what Mohd Tarmizi Ismail feels every time he is asked about his wife, Hamfazlin Sham Mohamed Arifin, the Malaysia Airlines (MAS) stewardess on MH17 that was shot down in eastern Ukraine last year.

Almost a year later, the father to Alif Hazim, three, and Alif Haiqal, nine, admitted that he still could not hide his despair and sadness when "bombarded" with questions which forced him to relive the dark moments following the July 17, 2014 tragedy.

"I am grateful to be surrounded by caring people who look out for my family.

"Although I have to be strong and go on with life, it sometimes hurts when I have to relive the moments of the tragedy," he told Bernama on Sunday.

Hamfazlin Sham was among 298 crew members and passengers killed in the MH17 tragedy while the aircraft was en route to Kuala Lumpur from Amsterdam.

The victims of the 777-200 Boeing aircraft crash after it was shot down in Donetsk, eastern Ukraine, included 44 Malaysians and the rest were Dutch, Australian, Indonesian, British, German, Belgian, Philippine, Canadian and New Zealand nationals.

August 22, 2014 was a day of mourning for the nation which paid its last respects to the victims.

Mohd Tarmizi said his eldest son understood why his mother was no longer present.

"Only my younger son who is just learning to talk, constantly asks me 'where is mother', 'when is mother coming home?'," he said, adding that each week he would take his sons to visit Hamfazlin's grave.

He hoped the government would speed up the investigations into the crash and keeps the family members informed.

The family of MH17 pilot Wan Amran Wan Hussin have accepted his fate and are getting stronger in facing life.

His nephew, Amaluddin Noorshah, 49, said he was constantly in touch with Wan Amran's wife and children who lived in Shah Alam to give them moral support.

"Each time there is a family gathering, we feel his absence, especially now that it is almost Raya, as he used to handle everything (preparations).

"We accept this test, but only that we hope the investigation report (on the MH17 crash) is announced soon," he said.

Both Amaluddin and Mohd Tarmizi hoped that their loved ones would get justice and those responsible for the tragedy be punished accordingly. - Bernama

 

[PressToTeleport]

Malaysia wants tribunal to prosecute those responsible for shooting down Malaysia Airlines plane over Ukraine

PUBLISHED : Friday, 03 July, 2015, 10:01am
UPDATED : Friday, 03 July, 2015, 10:01am

Associated Press

A Dutch investigator works at the site where the downed Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 crashed, near the village of Hrabove (Grabovo) in Donetsk. Photo: Reuters

Malaysia told the UN Security Council it plans to submit a resolution soon that would establish an international tribunal to prosecute those responsible for shooting down a Malaysia Airlines plane over Ukraine last year.

Diplomats said Malaysia’s UN Ambassador Ramlan Bin Ibrahim informed council members that the resolution is being prepared by the five countries investigating the crash and will be under Chapter 7 of the UN Charter, which can be enforced militarily.

New Zealand’s UN Ambassador Gerard van Bohemen, the current council president, told reporters after Malaysia’s closed-door briefing that the five countries – Malaysia, Ukraine, Netherlands, Australia and Belgium – are seeking “criminal accountability” for the downing of the aircraft.

The flight heading from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur crashed July 17, 2014 over eastern Ukraine, killing all 298 people on board.

Controversy continues over who downed the plane.

Ukraine and the West suspect it was destroyed by a Russian surface-to-air missile fired by Russian soldiers or Russia-backed separatist rebels fighting in the area. Moscow denies that and Russian officials and state media have alleged the plane was shot down by a Ukrainian missile or a warplane.

Diplomats said Russia, a veto-wielding member of the Security Council, holds the key to adoption of a resolution.

Malaysian diplomat Johan Ariff Abdul Razak said after yesterday's council discussions that “our sense was that all council members including Russia were open to further consider the matter.”

According to diplomats, speaking on condition of anonymity because the consultations were closed, ambassador Ibrahim said that in the coming days he hopes to circulate the proposed text of a resolution with the draft statute to establish the tribunal in an annex. The ambassador said he would like to see its adoption by the end of July, the diplomats said.

 

[PressToTeleport]

As first anniversary looms, MH17 families demand justice

AFP
July 12, 2015, 5:38 am

Families of those killed when Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 was shot down over Ukraine last year demanded justice Saturday at an emotional memorial ceremony ahead of the first anniversary of the disaster.

The sombre memorial service at Kuala Lumpur International Airport was attended by Prime Minister Najib Razak, and relatives of those who died used the opportunity to air their continued frustrations over the handling of the tragedy.

"We want to find out who shot down the plane. We must find out," said Ivy Loi, whose husband Captain Eugene Choo was one of the pilots on board the flight.

A family member of a victim cries during a prayer at the first anniversary of the crash of Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 which was shot down in eastern Ukraine on July 17 2014. Photo: Getty

Loi, who was greeted by many Malaysia Airline employees at the event, attended the service with her two sons and relatives.

"We're just trying to cope," she added as she wiped away tears.

The Boeing 777 passenger jet was travelling between Amsterdam and Kuala Lumpur when it was shot down in eastern Ukraine on July 17, during some of the worst fighting between government forces and pro-Russian separatists who took up arms against Kiev's pro-Western government a few months earlier.

All 298 passengers and crew on board the Malaysia Airlines jetliner - the majority of them Dutch - died.

Suspicions immediately fell on the separatists, who may have used a surface-to-air missile supplied by Russia to shoot down the plane.

But Moscow flatly denied it was involved and pointed the finger instead at Ukraine's military.

Speaking at the memorial, Najib said the international criminal probe into the downing of the plane was ongoing and could be completed by the end of the year.

"Detailed investigations are still continuing... and they are expected to be finished by the end of 2015 at least," he said.

'It's Ramadan and we feel the sadness'

The memorial was held on Saturday instead of the first anniversary - July 17 - because it falls during Eid al-Fitr, Islam's biggest festival and the culmination of the fasting month of Ramadan, a time of joyful family gatherings.

A family member of a victim cries during a prayer at the first anniversary of the crash of Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 which was shot down in eastern Ukraine on July 17 2014. Photo: Getty

The timing of the anniversary is therefore especially painful for Muslim-majority Malaysia.

"It's Ramadan and we feel the sadness," said Shahadat Bey, whose aunt died in the crash.

"Everyone is just pointing fingers but it's very important that we get some closure and justice because everybody needs to know what happened," he added.

Madzalina Ghazalee, whose sister perished in the disaster, said the past weeks had been a difficult time.

"For Ramadan, we're sad because we're so used to having all the family members around during this period but now its not the same," she said.

Rita Phang, 62, lost her cousin when the plane was downed.

"I know it's almost a year, but we still feel sad, even though we know we have to accept the way things are," she said. "But action needs to be taken. I want justice to be served."

The event saw grieving families observe a minute's silence. Many cried and became emotional when the names of the passengers scrolled across screens in tribute to the dead.

Transport Minister Liow Tiong Lai insisted that the government was doing all it could.

"Malaysia is single-minded in making sure we find out who the people responsible for this tragedy are," he said.

Malaysia is working with Australia, Belgium, the Netherlands and Ukraine - all member countries of the Joint Investigation Team - on setting up an international tribunal.

A draft UN resolution, obtained by AFP, calls for establishing the tribunal under Chapter 7 of the UN charter, which means that the court's efforts to prosecute those responsible could be enforced by sanctions.

Malaysia's UN ambassador Ramlan Ibrahim told the 15-member Security Council in early July that a UN court would "provide the highest degree of legitimacy for the trial".

However, Russia said on Thursday it would oppose the resolution.

Just four months prior to the MH17 incident, Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370 vanished without a trace with 239 people on board after its communications systems were apparently deliberately shut off, becoming one of aviation's enduring mysteries.

 

[PressToTeleport]

Families of MH17 victims sue ex-rebel leader for $900 mn

AFP
July 17, 2015, 3:29 am

Moscow (AFP) - Relatives of MH17 crash victims have filed a nearly $900 million suit against a former leader of Ukrainian insurgents over the shooting down of the passenger jet in July last year.

A writ filed in Chicago on Wednesday claimed that Igor Strelkov, a Russian citizen, was acting with the "actual or apparent" authority of President Vladimir Putin's government when the Malaysia Airlines jet was blown out of the sky, killing all 298 people on board.

Relatives of 17 victims are being represented by a US-based firm specialising in aviation litigation which is claiming $50 million (46 million euros) for each of the plaintiffs' loved ones or a total of $850 million (780 million euros).

Strelkov, who also goes by the name Igor Girkin, is a self-proclaimed former Russian intelligence agent who spearheaded the Ukrainian insurgency until last August and is now based in Russia.

Strelkov's wife Miroslava, who acts as his spokeswoman, said the former rebel would not comment.

"What does he have to do with this anyway," she said on Russian radio.

In an online comment later Thursday, the mustachioed rebel said he did not have $900 million and derided the families of the victims who include British nationals.

"It is deeply symptomatic that British people 'valued' the lives of their relatives in monetary terms," he wrote.

"All their morality and all their 'universal human values' have a monetary equivalent. That is what I've been fighting my whole life and am ready to fight in the future."

-'Terrible losses'-

Attorney Floyd Wisner told AFP that the lawsuit was not about money.

"It has everything to do with finding the answers to this criminal event and bringing the perpetrators to justice," he said in an emailed statement.

"Our clients do not want their terrible losses to be forgotten."

"We believe Mr. Girkin has important information about these acts and we challenge him to appear and respond to this lawsuit."

The court papers say that Flight 17 flew over the airspace of the area in which the "rebel army was waging its war activities and the rebel army under the command responsibility of defendant Girkin shot down the subject Boeing 777-200 aircraft."

"Defendant Girkin ordered, aided and/or abetted this action and/or conspired with those persons who fired the missile or missiles," they claim.

One of the plaintiffs also lodged a case against Malaysia Airlines, accusing the airline of operating the flight over an "internationally recognised conflict zone."

The lawsuit was filed almost a year to the day when the passenger jet travelling between Amsterdam and Kuala Lumpur went down on July 17 during some of the worst fighting between government forces and pro-Russian separatists.

All 298 passengers and crew on board -- most of them Dutch -- died.

Ukraine and the West have accused the separatists of using a Buk surface-to-air missile supplied by Moscow to down the Boeing.

Russia has denied the claim and suggested that a Ukrainian missile may have hit it.

In a bid to counter raging accusations that he was personally guilty, an ashen-faced Putin recorded a late-night video address soon after the tragedy, urging the West and Kiev not to exploit the disaster for political gain.

Malaysia earlier this month formally asked the United Nations to establish an international tribunal that it said would guarantee an independent trial for those behind the MH17 disaster.

Putin, speaking to Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte on Thursday, said that establishing such a court would be both premature and counterproductive.

Putin also lashed out at reported leaks from the Dutch investigation as "clearly politicised", after CNN cited unnamed sources as saying the report found the rebels responsible.

The claim lodged by the families "is unlikely to succeed in obtaining damages from Girkin or the Russian government, but may provide the legal basis for future sanctions against Moscow," said risk advisory company Verisk Maplecroft.

The downing of the plane unleashed a storm of global condemnation and led the West to announce more sanctions against Russia, targeting entire sectors of its economy.

 

[PressToTeleport]

Putin says MH17 tribunal would be counterproductive

AFP
July 17, 2015, 1:29 am

Putin tells Dutch PM MH17 tribunal would be counterproductive : Kremlin

Moscow (AFP) - Russian President Vladimir Putin said Thursday that establishing an international tribunal to prosecute those behind the downing of Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 over rebel-held east Ukraine would be counterproductive.

He made his comments in a telephone conversation with Prime Minister Mark Rutte of the Netherlands, whose citizens made up the majority of the 298 people killed in the July 17 disaster last year.

"Vladimir Putin in detail explained the Russian position regarding the premature and counterproductive nature of an initiative by a number of countries, including the Netherlands, to establish an international tribunal to criminally prosecute individuals responsible for the destruction of the Malaysian airliner," the Kremlin said.

The Netherlands is working with Malaysia, Australia, Belgium, and Ukraine on the creation of an international tribunal for MH17.

A draft UN resolution, obtained by AFP, calls for establishing the tribunal under Chapter 7 of the UN charter, which means that the court's efforts to prosecute those responsible could be enforced by sanctions.

Investigators from the Netherlands are leading an international probe into the downing of the Amsterdam-Kuala Lumpur flight and are expected to release a final report in early October.

Ukraine and many in the West have accused pro-Russian separatists of shooting down the plane, saying they may have used a surface-to-air missile supplied by Russia.

- 'Politicised' leaks -

Russia -- which wields a UN veto -- and the rebels deny any responsibility and have instead pointed the finger at Ukraine's military.

In his conversation with Rutte, Putin insisted that all investigations into the disaster should be completed before any decision can be taken on how to try the culprits.

A preliminary report by Dutch investigators in September said the plane was hit by numerous "high-energy objects" but did not apportion blame.

Putin also lashed out at reported leaks from the Dutch investigation as "clearly politicised", after US television channel CNN cited unnamed sources as saying that the report found the rebels responsible.

Oleg Storchevoy, deputy head of Russia's air transport agency Rosaviatsia, said in a briefing Thursday that he received the draft report from Dutch investigators and that Russian officials "have a lot to say about it".

Storchevoy added that he will not make any comments before the report's official publication, however, and refused to take any questions from the press.

He repeated two main theories floated by Russia over the past year, one of which is that the Boeing was shot down by a Buk-M1 surface-to-air system strike and the other that it was hit by an air-to-air rocket launched from a plane.

Additionally, Russia's Investigative Committee and Storchevoy both referred to a report by anonymous "aviation specialists" which was published on social media and concluded that the air-to-air missile was likely an Israeli-made Python.

The 16-page "strictly confidential" report, posted on Russian blogging site Livejournal, makes no mention of its authors or their affiliation, however the files say "Russian Ministry of Defence".

On the eve of the one-year anniversary of the crash, Russian state media have criticised the West for alleging Russian involvement before the investigation is complete.

The rebels in east Ukraine boast the heavy weaponry of a regular army but Russia denies that it supplies the hardware across the separatist-controlled border.

The West and Russia are locked in their worst standoff since the Cold War over the Ukraine conflict, with the US and EU hitting Moscow with sanctions over its alleged meddling.