The investigation into who was involved in the downing of flight MH17 has been halted. It has not produced any new suspects to be prosecuted.
This is evident from a press conference of the Joint Investigation Team (JIT) on Wednesday.
Recently, research has been done into the crew of the missile installation that brought down the plane. This investigation resulted in three officers of the 53rd brigade of the Russian army. “Their involvement in the downing of MH17 is not confirmed by other sources. That is why the JIT does not reveal their names. The Russian authorities are not answering questions about the crew, as they believe there was no Russian Buk TELAR present in eastern Ukraine,” the investigation team said.
Proof not concrete enough
According to the JIT, much has become known about the decision-making process regarding the provision of the missile installation, which was transported from Russia to the conflict zone in eastern Ukraine. However, it is not possible to find out why the missile was fired and who pressed the button. The evidence that is available is “not concrete enough to lead to convictions in court, according to the Public Prosecution Service. Therefore, no new lawsuits are being initiated at this time.”
“The investigative activities have now reached their limit. All relevant and available telecom data, radar and satellite data have now been analysed. Many witness calls have been made, countless witnesses have been heard, hundreds of intercepted conversations have been analysed. All the investigations that the JIT could do without the cooperation of the Russian authorities, and without endangering people, have been carried out,” says Andy Kraag, head of the national criminal investigation department.
It was recently announced that the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) will examine Russia’s role in the downing of the flight. This after complaints from the Netherlands and individual relatives. According to the JIT, the research results presented on Wednesday can contribute to this case.
Mistake pro-Russian separatists
In November last year, the court of The Hague sentenced rebel leader Igor Girkin, his right-hand man Sergey Dubinsky and garrison commander Leonid Chartsjenko to life imprisonment for their role in the downing of MH17. They were considered suspects after years of investigation by the JIT. The fourth suspect, Oleg Pulatov, has been acquitted. The court considered that the downing of the flight was a mistake by the pro-Russian separatists – the perpetrators presumably did not intend to shoot down a passenger plane, but a military aircraft.
On July 17, 2014, the Malaysia Airlines aircraft, departing from Schiphol and en route to the Malaysian capital Kuala Lumpur, crashed over eastern Ukraine. All 298 people on board were killed, including almost 200 Dutch people.
Mark Rutte: we will continue to address Russia on MH17
According to Prime Minister Mark Rutte, it is “bitter” that there is currently insufficient evidence to prosecute people again for their role in the downing of flight MH17, but “let me be very clear: we will not let go”. The Netherlands will continue to hold Russia accountable for its responsibility, the prime minister said in a statement.