THE HAGUE, July 9: Europe’s top human rights court has ruled that Russia was responsible for widespread violations of international law in Ukraine, including the downing of Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 in 2014. The ruling marks the first time an international court has held Moscow accountable for human rights abuses related to the conflict there.
The European Court of Human Rights delivered decisions on four cases brought by Ukraine and the Netherlands against Russia since the start of the conflict in 2014. The allegations include murder, torture, rape, destroying civilian infrastructure, kidnapping Ukrainian children, and shooting down the Malaysian Airlines passenger jet, Flight MH17, by Ukrainian separatists who side with Russia.
The judges found the human rights abuses went beyond any military objective and Russia used sexual violence as part of a strategy to break Ukrainian morale. The complaints were brought before the court’s governing body expelled Moscow in 2022, following the full-scale invasion.
The decisions are largely symbolic since Moscow says it plans to ignore them. Families of the victims of the MH17 disaster see the decision as an important milestone in their 11-year quest for justice. The ECHR is an important part of the Council of Europe, which is the continent’s foremost human rights institution. (AP)
