The Netherlands will continue to hold Russia responsible for the 2014 crash of passenger flight Boeing MH17 over eastern Ukraine, Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte said on Wednesday.
The announcement came after international prosecutors said on Wednesday that evidence implicating Russian President Vladimir Putin and other Russian officials was not specific enough to be held accountable in court and that the investigation was ending without prosecution. .
Prosecutors said there were “strong indications” that Putin approved the use of a Russian missile system that shot down Malaysian jetliner MH17 over Ukraine in 2014.
“The investigation has reached its final point,” prosecutor Digna van Botzeller told a press conference in The Hague. “The results are not sufficient to bring new suspects to justice.”
Putin, as head of state, enjoys legal immunity and cannot be prosecuted, this will only be possible after leaving office, van Botzeller was quoted by Radio Liberty as saying.
In this case, the proceedings in this case can be continued, added van Botzeller.
Recall that in November last year, a Dutch court convicted two Russians and a Ukrainian citizen in absentia and sentenced them to life imprisonment for helping to transport the Russian missile system used to attack the plane. All 298 people on board were killed.
On Wednesday, prosecutors said they could not name the specific military responsible for launching the missile system that shot down the jetliner.
Prosecutors also cited the interception of phone conversations between Russian officials in 2014 as evidence that Putin’s approval was needed to satisfy the separatists’ demand for equipment.
Additionally, they referenced a 2017 interception between Putin and the Russian-appointed de facto leader of Ukraine’s Luhansk region, during which they discussed the military situation and the prisoner swap.
The Dutch Prime Minister expressed his disappointment that the international investigation into the downing of MH17 ended without prosecution due to the lack of sufficient concrete evidence.
“We will continue to hold the Russian Federation to account for its role in this tragedy,” Rutte said in a statement.
