DISINFO: The Court in MH17 case is legally invalid
DISINFORMATION CASE DETAILS
  • Outlet: sputnik-georgia.com (archived)*
  • Date of publication: November 18, 2022
  • Article language(s): Georgian
  • Reported in: Issue 318
  • Countries / regions discussed: Ukraine, Russia, Malaysia, The Netherlands
Tags:
MH17 War in Ukraine Eastern Ukraine Donbas Anti-Russian war crimes

DISINFO: The Court in MH17 case is legally invalid

SUMMARY

The judgment of the Hague Court in the case of MH17 does not inspire confidence, there were too many "dark areas" in the course of the investigation, and the lack of transparency and inconsistencies raise doubts about the impartiality of justice.

What to do with the fact that the shot came from the territory controlled by Kyiv, that the rebels did not have weapons that could bring down the plane?

The decision of the Hague Court, which was expected, is legally invalid.

RESPONSE

Recurrent pro-Kremlin disinformation about downing of flight MH17 and attempt to discredit the Joint Investigative Team (JIT) and the criminal trial.

The verdict of the court published on 17 November 2022 was based on strong pieces of evidence and alternative scenarios were excluded based on the evidence.

The Court in its ruling stated that there is no doubt that the MH17 was hit by a Buk missile fired from a farm field near Pervomaiskyi in Ukraine. This field was located in separatist-controlled territory. "This is clear from photographs of a smoke trail in the sky, statements by a protected witness, satellite images, intercepted telephone conversations and transmission mast data, photographs and videos of a Buk TELAR being brought in and removed, and examination of fragments in the remains of a crew member and in the truss and the groove of the aircraft. Investigation in the Netherlands and abroad has not revealed any traces of evidence tampering. Alternative scenarios, for example that the Buk missile was fired from a different area, are ruled out based on the evidence," stated in the final verdict.

EU HRVP Josep Borrell called the verdict "an important first step on the path of truth and accountability." He also stressed that the "EU reiterates its call on Russia to accept its responsibility in this tragedy and cooperate fully with the ongoing investigations."

See here and here for further debunking by Bellingcat and Polygraph.info, respectively and our interview with the Dutch Safety Board, tasked with investigating the cause of the crash of MH17.

Read more disinformation cases about the downing of the flight MH17.

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Cases in the EUvsDisinfo database focus on messages in the international information space that are identified as providing a partial, distorted, or false depiction of reality and spread key pro-Kremlin messages. This does not necessarily imply, however, that a given outlet is linked to the Kremlin or editorially pro-Kremlin, or that it has intentionally sought to disinform. EUvsDisinfo publications do not represent an official EU position, as the information and opinions expressed are based on media reporting and analysis of the East Stratcom Task Force.

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