Russia responsible for downing of MH17: ECHR

Europe’s top human rights court ruled unanimously Wednesday that Russia was responsible for the downing of Malaysian Airlines flight MH17 in 2014 and also that Moscow had repeatedly and systematically violated human rights in Ukraine.

- REUTERS

The Strasbourg-based European Court of Human Rights said Russia had performed indiscriminate military attacks, summary executions of civilians, torture including the use of rape as a weapon of war, unjustified displacement and transfer of civilians and other violations.

Ahead of Wednesday’s ruling, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Russia would not abide by any court decisions, saying, “We consider them null and void.”

The ECHR is an international court of the Council of Europe, also based in Strasbourg, from which Russia was expelled in 2022 following its invasion of Ukraine. Russia’s parliament then voted in 2023 to end the ECHR’s jurisdiction in the country.