19/10/2020 Legal Affairs and Human Rights
PACE’s rapporteur on ensuring accountability for the downing of flight MH17 Titus Corlăţean (Romania, SOC) has regretted the withdrawal of Russia from trilateral talks with the Netherlands and Australia concerning the 2014 downing of flight MH17 over eastern Ukraine, killing all 298 passengers on board, mostly Dutch and Australian citizens.
The Russian withdrawal was reportedly a reaction to the inter-state application before the European Court of Human Rights launched by the Netherlands against Russia, in support of the individual applications by victims’ family members.
“The Russian withdrawal from the trilateral talks sends a painful signal, first and foremost to the victims’ families,” said Mr Corlăţean. “In their interest, dialogue must be stepped up, not ended. The filing of an inter-state application before the European Court of Human Rights is not an unfriendly act that would justify an adverse reaction. It is the normal, legitimate use of a procedural remedy foreseen by the Convention, which all States Parties have signed and ratified.”
Mr Corlăţean presented an introductory memorandum on the downing of MH17 to the Assembly’s Committee on Legal Affairs and Human Rights in late 2019. He intends to carry out the fact-finding visits related to his report as soon as the sanitary situation allows.