ECHR Holds Russia Responsible for Downing of Flight MH17

The European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) has ruled that Russia bears responsibility for the downing of Malaysia Airlines Flight MH17 over eastern Ukraine in 2014. The decision was announced during a live broadcast on the Court’s official YouTube channel. “The Court unanimously finds that there has been a violation of Article 2 of the Convention in its substantive limb in relation to the downing of MH17,” said Court President Matthias Guyomar, referring to the article that protects the right to life. The judgment was issued in response to a joint case filed by the Netherlands and Ukraine against the Russian Federation. The complaint concerns a broader range of events in eastern Ukraine starting in 2014, including the MH17 tragedy in which all 298 people aboard the aircraft were killed.