European Court rules Russia responsible for shooting down Flight MH17

DEVOTED TOON SUPPORTERS WERE AMONG THOSE KILLED IN CRASH

- By KALI LINDSAY Reporter

EUROPE’S top human rights court has ruled that Russia was behind the downing of Flight MH17 - the first time Moscow has been named by an international court as being responsible for the 2014 tragedy that claimed 298 lives.

Liam Sweeney and John Alder were among the people killed in the crash as they travelled from Amsterdam to Malaysia on July 17, 2014.

Devoted Toon supporters Liam, 28 from Killingworth and John, 63, from Gateshead, were making the trip to watch the Magpies play in a preseason friendly when the plane crashed over Ukraine.

In a separate ruling yesterday, the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) found that Russia violated international law during the conflict in Ukraine, the first time an international court has found Moscow responsible for human rights abuses since the full-scale invasion in 2022.

Judges at the court in Strasbourg are ruling on four cases brought by Ukraine and the Netherlands against Russia, encompassing a wide range of alleged human rights violations during the full-scale invasion since the start of the war, including the downing of Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 and kidnapping Ukrainian children.