MH17 crash: Victims' families sue Putin and Russia

Families of victims of downed Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 are suing Russia and its President Vladimir Putin in the European Court of Human Rights.

MH17 crash: Victims' families sue Putin and Russia

Good. Maybe this will finally be the beginning of a long road to justice.

The jet was shot down by a Russian-made missile over eastern Ukraine in 2014, killing all 298 on board.
The West and Ukraine say Russian-backed rebels were responsible but Russia accuses Ukrainian forces.

The families' claim is based on the violation of a passenger's right to life, News.com.au reported.
The claim is for 10 million Australian dollars ($7.2m; £4.9m) for each victim, and the lawsuit names both the Russian state and its president as respondents.

Jerry Skinner, a US-based aviation lawyer leading the case, told News.com.au it was difficult for the families to live with, knowing it was "a crime".

"The Russians don't have any facts for blaming Ukraine, We have facts, photographs, memorandums, tonnes of stuff."
Mr Skinner said they were waiting to hear from the ECHR whether the case had been accepted.

Financial compensation for the families of the victims is definitely a good start. But truthfully, I don't think justice can be fully served until someone goes on trial and subsequently gets convicted (we know that won't be Putin).

There are 33 next-of-kin named in the application, the Sydney Morning Herald reported - eight from Australia, one from New Zealand with the rest from Malaysia.

Sydney-based law firm LHD Lawyers is filing the case on behalf of their families.
Flight MH17 crashed at the height of the conflict between Ukrainian government troops and pro-Russian separatists.

A Dutch report last year concluded it was downed by a Russian-made Buk missile, but did not say who fired it.
Most of the victims were Dutch and a separate criminal investigation is still under way.

I think Palestinians should sue the U.S. and U.K. governments for the weapons being used against them

Lol sue them without having the facts. Might as well've been Ukrainian jets. What a waste of time this

a reply to: ColdWisdom

Lol justice. We dont know who fired that missile.

a reply to: ColdWisdom

Ahh good old American Hypocrisy. I think this is bull****. They can feel ill about it and present their case all they want but unless RUSSIA directly fired the missile, it doesn't matter. I don't care for Russia much but I wont let CRAP like this dissuade me from having my own opinion. If things like this are really a big issue for you as an American you might as well move out of America, since we are the biggest exporter of weapons. With this logic we should be sued by almost EVERY middle eastern country... Even our allies have felt our weapons used against them when we've "funded rebels" to "stabilize the region".

a reply to: ColdWisdom

Financial compensation for the families of the victims is definitely a good start. But truthfully, I don't think justice can be fully served until someone goes on trial and subsequently gets convicted (we know that won't be Putin).

You actually think this is going somewhere? This is nothing more than some propaganda BS reminding suckers that Russia is the bad guy.

I don't know WTF you all have been reading about MH17 but it's been plainly obvious for over a year now that MH17 was shot down by a surface-to-air missile launched by Russian Separatists. Putin probably didn't order it, and it may have even been an accident. But Putin did arm the separatists with those weapons and the investigation from the wreckage concluded that the plane was downed by a (Russian made) surface-to-air missile. Then the Kremlin published doctored satellite photos showing that the plane was shot down by a Ukrainian fighter jet which they then retracted and have remained silent about ever since.

Seriously, guys. Use your noggins here.

a reply to: Tiamat384

We dont know who fired that missile.

Well let's see here...

It was fired from inside separatist held territory.

Ukraine wouldn't have been able to that without being stopped by separatists before it even got that deep into their territory.

We also know the separatist had a BUK launcher operational in the area MH 17 was shot down...one of the top separatists admitted this.

"They knew that this BUK existed; that the BUK was heading for Snezhnoye," he said, referring to a village 10 km (six miles) west of the crash site. "They knew that it would be deployed there, and provoked the use of this BUK by starting an air strike on a target they didn’t need, that their planes hadn’t touched for a week."

"And that day, they were intensively flying, and exactly at the moment of the shooting, at the moment the civilian plane flew overhead, they launched air strikes. Even if there was a BUK, and even if the BUK was used, Ukraine did everything to ensure that a civilian aircraft was shot down."

www.reuters.com...

And since the one's they got from Ukraine were not operational where did they get this one, and who gave it to them?

Little things like that pretty much tells you who did fire it.

originally posted by: Zcustosmorum
I think Palestinians should sue the U.S. and U.K. governments for the weapons being used against them

so source links or shred of evidence? didnt think so.

a reply to: DutchMasterChief

This is nothing more than some propaganda BS reminding suckers that Russia is the bad guy.

They annexed Crimea on a lie, they are the one's who started the problems causing the separatist to rebel.

They are supplying the separatists with arms, tanks, training and other supplies, but other than that maybe they aren't so bad...

They should sue the Ukrainian Air Force

a reply to: JourneymanWelder

Israel is not using and being supplied with American arms? You are claiming there is no proof for this?

a reply to: Zcustosmorum

I think Palestinians should sue the U.S. and U.K. governments for the weapons being used against them

And with that Israel should sue Russia, China, and Iran as all of those countries have their weapons being used against them.

And the US should sue those same countries as they too have weapons from China, and Russia being used against them.

Seems only fair.

a reply to: tsurfer2000h

And with that Israel should sue Russia, China, and Iran as all of those countries have their weapons being used against them.

And the US should sue those same countries as they too have weapons from China, and Russia being used against them.

Seems only fair.

Sounds like a case of Everybody vs. Everybody.

We all know nobody will win, though.

a reply to: ColdWisdom

Then the Kremlin published doctored satellite photos showing that the plane was shot down by a Ukrainian fighter jet which they then retracted and have remained silent about ever since.

Yes that wasn't their finest hour that's for sure...

a reply to: tsurfer2000h

According to you and your crew Putin should've conquered half of Europe by now.

a reply to: Ohanka

They should sue the Ukrainian Air Force

Why?

a reply to: Ohanka

Wow! There are still people that buy the Su-25 narrative? If that were true, explain how the Su-25 was capable of operating well outside its capabilities. Explain how it made it into separatist controlled area with no one shooting it and firing upon it. Explain why Russia has to produce that ridiculous hoax showing a jet firing on the airliner.

a reply to: DutchMasterChief

According to you and your crew Putin should've conquered half of Europe by now.

He probably would have tried had it not been for NATO making sure that wouldn't happen.

And exactly who is my "crew" you speak of, because last time I checked I wasn't part of a crew.

originally posted by: Antipathy17
Ahh good old American Hypocrisy.

I must have missed the part in the article where they are being sued in the United States. You did catch that this is an Australian suit, right?