Russia faces European court trial for downing plane, war crimes
The European Court of Human Rights heard on Wednesday from representatives of the governments of Ukraine and the Netherlands, who are directing accusations at the Russian state. Moscow is accused of massive human rights violations. The allegations cover the last 10 years.
1:58 PM EDT, June 12, 2024
The accusers are the Netherlands and Ukraine. Dutch delegates want the Kremlin to be held accountable by the European Court of Human Rights for the shooting down of Malaysia Airlines flight in 2014. Ukrainian representatives accuse Vladimir Putin’s state of human rights violations in 2014 and crimes in 2022. Both countries describe these violations as blatant and massive.
According to AFP, on Wednesday, during the presentation of the Dutch and Ukrainian petitions in the courtroom in Strasbourg, all seats were taken except for 11 chairs, which were reserved for the Russian side. However, the Kremlin has not responded to ECHR petitions since the start of the war in Ukraine.
As reported by PAP, Iryna Mudra, deputy head of President Volodymyr Zelensky's office, presented to 17 judges cases of "massive and systematic human rights violations" in Ukraine by the Russian aggressor.
"Russia's actions resemble Germany's actions from 1939-1945," stated a representative of the Ukrainian government. The Ukrainian side also presented cases of Russian crimes against civilians in Donbas since 2014 and the "large-scale invasion" of Ukrainian territory. During these actions, residents of Mariupol, Irpin, and Bucha were massacred, and there were multiple violations of humanitarian corridors by Russians.
Russia violated human rights. Accusations flow from the Netherlands and Ukraine
The Dutch presented the details of the attack on the plane flying from Amsterdam to Malaysia to the judges. It was shot down on July 17, 2014, in the Donetsk region in Donbas.
Babette Koopman, a representative of the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs, stated that a Russian missile attack caused the catastrophe. 298 people died.
Since September 16, 2022, Russia has been ignoring the European Court of Human Rights. Enforcing a verdict for blatant violations, which will be issued in a few months, will not be easy.
It may even prove impossible, similar to enforcing the ruling of the International Criminal Court. On March 17, 2023, an arrest warrant was issued for Vladimir Putin and the commissioner for children's rights in his office, Maria Lvova-Belova. Both are suspected by the ICC prosecutor of committing war crimes.
