Netherlands government says MH17 suspects to be tried under Dutch law

Source: Xinhua| 2017-07-05 19:24:36|Editor: Zhang Dongmiao
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THE HAGUE, July 5 (Xinhua) -- The team responsible for the ongoing criminal investigation of Malaysian airlines flight MH17 says the suspects who downed the flight will be tried by a court in the Netherlands, the Dutch government said Wednesday.

"The choice for the Dutch legal system is an important step towards the trial of the suspects in the downing of the MH17 flight," said the statement issued by the Dutch government.

The criminal investigation by the Joint Investigative Team (JIT), in which the Netherlands Public Prosecutor's Office (OM) and the Dutch National Police are working together with police and judicial authorities from Australia, Belgium, Malaysia, and Ukraine, is still ongoing.

"The OM will take the appropriate decision regarding prosecution at the appropriate time," the statement said. "All JIT countries have indicated full confidence in the Dutch legal system," it added.

Flight MH17, a Malaysian Airlines Boeing 777, crashed in eastern Ukraine on July 17, 2014 while flying from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur. All 298 people on board died, among them 196 Dutch citizens.

Last October, the JIT's preliminary investigations concluded that the flight was shot down by an anti-aircraft Buk missile launched from territory controlled by pro-Russian insurgents.

It added that the Buk was brought to Ukraine from Russia and transferred back after the missile launch.

Russia rejected the findings, calling the JIT report "biased and politically motivated." The Netherlands then summoned the Russian ambassador in The Hague and informed him that Kremlin's remarks on the JIT findings were unacceptable.

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