The Council of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), a United Nations agency, issued a historic resolution holding Russia responsible for the downing of Malaysia Airlines Flight MH17 on July 17, 2014. This decision, the first of its kind by ICAO, was celebrated by the governments of the Netherlands and Australia, who filed lawsuits against the agency due to the number of nationals among the 298 victims. The incident occurred when pro-Russian separatists in Ukraine, supported by Russia with a Buk air defense system, shot down the plane, violating the Convention on International Civil Aviation.
The ICAO ruling states that Russia violated its international obligations, marking a precedent in the resolution of disputes among member states. In 2022, a Dutch court had already sentenced three individuals, two Russians and a Ukrainian, involved in the incident, to life imprisonment, although Russia refused to extradite the convicts. The ICAO announced that it will soon issue a formal decision explaining the grounds on which its resolution rests, thereby reinforcing the international legal framework in the field of civil aviation.
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