The Australian government accused Russia on Thursday of blocking the investigation into the 2014 crash of Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 over eastern Ukraine, which killed 298 people.
“Russia’s illegal and immoral invasion of Ukraine and failure to cooperate with the investigation [à queda do MH17] made efforts to investigate and gather evidence impossible at this time,” Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong and Attorney General Mark Dreyfus said in a joint statement.
International investigators on Wednesday pointed to “solid evidence” that Russian President Vladimir Putin sent the missile that brought down MH17 to Ukrainian separatists.
“There are strong indications that the Russian president has decided to provide Buk TELAR to the separatists,” the joint International Investigation team said in a statement, acknowledging that Putin cannot be prosecuted because he enjoys the immunity conferred on a head of state. .
At a press conference in The Hague, the investigation team released an intercepted phone call in which an adviser to the Russian authorities said that the delay in sending the missile occurred “because there is only one person who decides (…), the one that is currently booming” in France”, in reference to Putin.
However, investigators have also announced that they will suspend the investigation into the 2014 crash of Malaysia Airlines Flight MH17 over Ukraine, citing a lack of evidence to proceed.
“At this point, the investigation has reached its limit. All leads have been exhausted. Therefore, the investigation is suspended. There is not enough evidence to continue the process,” Dutch prosecutor Digna said at the press conference. van Boetzelaer.
Australia today reaffirmed its commitment to support, along with the Netherlands, the ongoing process with the International Civil Aviation Organization “to hold Russia accountable for its role in the downing of civil aircraft.”
The Malaysia Airlines plane was flying from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur when it was struck on July 17, 2014 over the eastern part of Ukraine controlled by pro-Russian rebels.
The announcement of the suspension of work of the JIT comes less than three months after a Dutch court sentenced two Russians and a Ukrainian for the murder of the passengers and crew of MH17, after having tried them in absentia.
“The Hague tribunal’s findings unequivocally and conclusively establish Russia’s responsibility for the downing of MH17,” Wong and Dreyfus stressed in their statement today.
Source: TSF
