DISINFO: Malaysia was sidelined from the MH17 investigation
SUMMARY
Malaysia does not have full access to all information about the [MH17] investigation, although it is invited to take part in investigating this disaster.
RESPONSE
Recurring pro-Kremlin disinformation narrative about the downing of flight MH17. Malaysia's Prosecutor's office cooperated in the investigation conducted by the Dutch-led Joint Investigation Team (JIT). Speaking at the press-conference of the JIT on 19 June 2019, the Deputy Prosecutor General of Malaysia Mohamad Hanafiah bin Zakaria reiterated Malaysia's commitment to the JIT in seeking justice for the victims and stated that the JIT findings were based on extensive investigation and legal research. [See at 57:30 - 58:14] The criminal investigation led by the JIT has been ongoing since 2014. On 28 September 2016, the JIT announced that flight MH17 was shot down by a missile from the 9M38 series, which was launched by a BUK TELAR missile system. The system was transported from the Russian Federation to an agricultural field near the town of Pervomaiskyi in Eastern Ukraine and from there the missile was launched. After firing, the missile system, with 1 missing missile, went back to the Russian Federation. On the 24th of May 2018, the JIT announced its conclusion that the BUK TELAR used to shoot down MH17 came from the 53rd Anti-Aircraft Missile Brigade, a unit of the Russian armed forces from Kursk in the Russian Federation. On the basis of the investigation conducted by the JIT, consisting of law enforcement agencies from Australia, Belgium, Malaysia, Ukraine and the Netherlands, the Dutch Public Persecution service will prosecute Igor Vsevolodovich Girkin, Sergey Nikolayevich Dubinskiy, Oleg Yuldashevich Pulatov, and Leonid Volodymyrovych Kharchenko for causing the crash of flight MH17 and murdering the 298 persons on board. The public hearing is scheduled for 9 March 2020 in the Netherlands.