Russia: MH17 verdict was politically driven

(MENAFN) The ruling made by a Dutch court on the MH17 jet accident on Thursday was entirely political, according to a statement issued by Russia's Foreign Ministry. Earlier in the day, three persons were convicted guilty of downing a Malaysian passenger plane over Ukraine in 2014.

Two Russian nationals, Igor Girkin and Sergey Dubinsky, as well as a Ukrainian citizen, Leonid Kharchenko, were convicted guilty of downing the commercial airliner by a court in The Hague. In absentia, all three were condemned to life in jail. They are also accountable for more than €16 million in restitution to the relatives of the victims.

The Dutch court was “under unprecedented pressure” amid the hearings, the Russian Foreign Ministry said, remarking on the verdict. “There can be no talk of objectivity and impartiality under such circumstances,” it highlighted, clarifying to attempts by Dutch “politicians, prosecutors and media to impose a politically motivated verdict” in this case. 

Moscow has stated unequivocally that it will not extradite its people in accordance with the country's constitution.

The court's judgment was based on the conclusions of Dutch prosecutors, which were based on the testimony of anonymous witnesses and evidence supplied by the Ukrainian Security Service, which the ministry claimed is a "interested party" in the case. Arguments advanced by the Russian side, including material disclosed by the Russian Defense Ministry, were rejected, according to the statement.

MENAFN19112022000045011137ID1105206980