KUALA LUMPUR: The United States today welcomed the unanimous decision by Joint Investigation Team (JIT) that the prosecution of those responsible for the downing of Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 over war-torn eastern Ukraine be held in the Netherlands.
“We have full confidence in the ability of the Dutch criminal justice system to arrive at a just and impartial decision.
“As we approach the third anniversary of this tragic loss of life, we again offer our deepest condolences to the families,” US State Department spokesman Heather Nauert said in a statement today.
She said the US will continue to work with JIT in its investigation on the downing of MH17.
Heather said the US also calls on other states that are in a position to assist to cooperate fully to ensure that those responsible are held accountable.
“We again urge all states to take steps to ensure full compliance with United Nations Security Council Resolution 2166, which called for a ‘full, thorough and independent international investigation into the incident’,” she said.
Flight MH17, a scheduled passenger flight, was flying from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur on July 17, 2014 when it was shot down over eastern Ukraine.
All 298 people, which included 43 Malaysians, were killed.
Last week, Dutch Foreign Minister Bert Koenders announced that the suspects involved in the shooting down of MH17 would be prosecuted in a Dutch court.
The decision to prosecute the suspects, he said, had been made by the JIT members – Australia, Belgium, Malaysia, Ukraine and the Netherlands.
The decision follows attempts, blocked by Russia in 2015, to set up an international court over the incident.
The Dutch Safety Board, which investigated the incident, concluded in 2015 that the plane was downed by a Russian-made rocket. Investigators said last September that the rocket was fired from territory held by pro-Russia separatists.