MH17 crash: Russia condemned for voting against UN resolution to launch international tribunal into disaster
Almost 300 people died in the crash in July 2014
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Your support makes all the difference.Russia has been condemned for being the only nation at a UN Security Council meeting to veto a resolution which would establish a tribunal to prosecute those responsible for shooting down Malaysia Airlines flight MH17, and killing almost 300 people.
The plan was presented to a 15-memner council attended by ministers from the five nations investigating the disaster – the Netherlands, Australia, Ukraine, Malaysia and Belgium – as well as their allies.
Some 298 people died when flight MH17 travelling from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur was shot down over the eastern Ukrainian city of Donetsk, on 17 July 2014. Over half of victims hailed from the Netherlands, with citizens from Australia, Belgium, Canada, Germany, Indonesia, Malaysia, New Zealand, the Philippines and the UK also being killed.
Russia was the only nation to veto the resolution, while China, Angola and Venezuela abstained from the vote. The Venezuelan ambassador explained that his government believed that victims' suffering should not be used politically.
Western nations and Ukraine have blamed Russian-backed militants or soldiers fighting in the Ukraine conflict for the shooting, but Russia has denied the charge, and state media has in turn pinned the blame on a Ukrainian missile or warplane.
However, Russia’s decision to reject the court case will likely stoke suspicion of its involvement.
Prime Minister David Cameron said Russia's veto was "infuriating and completely wrong".
US Ambassador Samantha Power said Russia had “callously disregarded the public outcry in the grieving nations,” while Julie Bishop, the Foreign Minister of Australia said: “The veto only compounds the atrocity.”
Russia’s decision followed an 11th hour attempt to lobby President Vladimir Putin failed, who argued that a tribunal would be “inexpedient” while an investigation into the crash continued. The Kremlin added in a statement that it had a “lot of questions” about the investigation to which it has little access.
Instead, Russia presented a draft of the resolution, which called for those behind the crash to be brought to justice without mention of a tribunal.
Following the vote, Russian Ambassador Vitaly Churkin told the council that the tribunal may not have been impartial, and could have been influenced by media “propaganda”. Mr Churkin also claimed that past tribunals for the Rwanda genocide and the violence in the former Yugoslavia were “expensive.”
The meeting came after foreign ministers met with UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, who called for justice and accountability over the case.
Ministers at the council later stressed that other legal options are available, with some indicating they might pursue a tribunal again.
Additional reporting by PA and AP
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