2016-06-04 17:30:00

Russia failing to provide information for investigators in Ukraine jet crash


(Vatican Radio) Dutch prosecutors say they are still waiting for Russia to provide information on the downing of Malaysia Airlines Flight MH17 over Ukraine, which killed nearly 300 people, though officials still believe that the results of an international criminal inquiry will be presented later this year.

Listen to Stefan Bos' report:

In a statement, the Netherlands Public Prosecutor's Office says that the Dutch-led international joint investigation team is still waiting for information from Russia about Buk missile installations.

The Dutch Safety Board concluded last year that Malaysia Airlines Flight MH17, flying from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur, was shot down over rebel-controlled eastern Ukraine by a Russian-made surface-to-air Buk missile. All 298 people on  board died.

Moscow has strongly denied supporting the pro-Russian separatists with weapons and troops. Despite the setback, Dutch prosecutors still expect results of the criminal investigation to be presented after the summer.

CRIMINAL FILE

Yet, the Netherlands Public Prosecutor's Office says the results will not published in a report, but will eventually be included "in a criminal file, which is intended for the hearing of the case in a court or a tribunal."

Besides Dutch prosecutors, investigators are also coming from Australia, Malaysia, Belgium, and Ukraine. Their governments have pledged to bring those responsible for the crash to justice.

However some families of the victims are already suing Russia and its President Vladimir Putin in the European Court of Human Rights. Their claim is based on the violation of a passenger's right to life. They are seeking $10 million Australian dollars, just over 7 million us dollars for each victim, and the lawsuit names both the Russian state and its president as respondents.

Complicating the investigation has been ongoing fighting in eastern Ukraine between government forces and pro-Russian separatists.

The Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe or OSCE has been trying to monitor a fragile ceasefire, but its unarmed monitors were often harassed or even shot at.

"DIPLOMATIC BREAKTHROUGH"

Yet, Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko said Friday that the leaders of France, Germany, Russia and Ukraine — known as the “Normandy Quartet” — have agreed on deploying an OSCE police mission to Ukraine’s eastern region of Donbass.  

Poroshenko said "a big diplomatic breakthrough" was made. "A common agreement on the OSCE police mission deployment was made not only at the highest level of the ‘Normandy Quartet’, but also in Vienna, at the OSCE, under the German chairmanship.”

He added: "Our German partners have already launched a discussion on deployment of the police mission.”

And, Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov confirmed Saturday that Russia is ready to agree to allow additional international observers in warring eastern Ukraine to be armed with pistols.

He told Russian television that OSCE monitors along the conflict line and at weapons storage sites should “have the right to carry personal guns … pistols for self-defense.”

 








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