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WORLD NEWS Saturday 11 July 2020
Dutch government to take Russia to European court over MH17

By MIKE CORDER "Of course, the relatives
THE HAGUE, Netherlands themselves do not have all
(AP) — The Dutch govern- this information so we can
ment is taking Russia to the help them by starting this
European Court of Human procedure."
Rights for its alleged role in Moscow has repeatedly
the shooting down of Ma- denied involvement in the
laysia Airlines Flight 17 over downing of the Boeing 777.
eastern Ukraine six years Foreign Ministry spokes-
ago, the foreign minister woman Maria Zakharova
announced Friday. said Russia sees Friday's
The move is intended to announcement "in con-
support individual cases nection with the disaster
being brought to the Eu- of the Malaysian Boeing as
ropean court by relatives another blow to Russian-
of some of the 298 people Dutch relations."
who were killed when a Buk Throughout the case, the
surface-to-air missile fired Netherlands has acted "ex-
from territory controlled by clusively within the frame-
pro-Moscow Ukrainian reb- work of anti-Russian logic,
els blew the Amsterdam- to which both technical
to-Kuala Lumpur flight out and criminal investigations
of the sky on July 17, 2014. were subordinated," Zakha- In this Friday, Aug. 1, 2014 file photo, Australian and Dutch investigators examine a piece of the
"Achieving justice for 298 rova said. Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 plane, near the village of Hrabove, Donetsk region, eastern Ukraine.
victims of the downing of However, an international Associated Press
Flight MH17 is and will re- team of prosecutors inves-
main the government's tigating the case has, how- from a Russian military base what does the European purpose of these meet-
highest priority," Foreign ever, charged three Rus- and the mobile launcher Court for Human Rights ings is to find a solution that
Minister Stef Blok said. "By sians and a Ukrainian with was later returned to Rus- have to do with it?" Kosa- does justice to the enor-
taking this step today ... we involvement in bringing sia. chev said. mous suffering and dam-
are moving closer to this down the plane and the The Russian foreign ministry Friday's move is the lat- age caused by the down-
goal." murder of all on board. The didn't immediately react. est legal maneuver by the ing of Flight MH17."
By launching the case men are on trial in a Dutch Konstantin Kosachev, head Dutch government, which Blok said the twin legal
against Russia, the Dutch court, although none have of the foreign affairs com- has long vowed to secure tracks are headed toward
authorities can share evi- been extradited to the mittee in the upper house justice for victims and their the same goal.
dence with the Strasbourg- Netherlands to face justice. of Russia's parliament, loved ones. Separately, the "From the onset, we have
based European court so it Blok said much of the evi- called the Dutch move "a government is pursuing Rus- made clear that the down-
can be considered in indi- dence the government will strange initiative from ev- sia for state responsibility in ing of an airplane, civilian
vidual relatives' cases. submit to the human rights ery aspect" in remarks car- the downing. airplane, and 298 innocent
"As a government, we have court also is part of that ried by the Interfax news "The government attaches casualties is such a severe
information, evidence, that criminal case. agency. importance to continuing breach of international
leads us to the conclusion Prosecutors say they have "The investigation isn't over the meetings with Russia on law that we will pursue any
of the involvement of the evidence the missile that yet, there have been no the matter of state respon- venue to find the truth and
Russian Federation," Blok blew MH17 out of the sky court verdicts on the na- sibility," the foreign ministry bring justice to the rela-
told The Associated Press. was trucked into Ukraine tional level yet and, finally, said in a statement. "The tives," he said.q
Hundreds try to storm Serbian parliament as protests heat up

BELGRADE, Serbia (AP) — have said the violence was considered the most in-
Hundreds of demonstrators the work of demonstrators tense since the overthrow
tried to storm Serbia's par- controlled by the govern- of former Serbian strong-
liament on Friday, clashing ment — with an aim to man Slobodan Milosevic in
with the police during for discredit the protests that 2000. He instead expressed
the fourth night of protests began in response to Presi- his fear about the spread of
against the president's in- dent Aleksandar Vucic's ef- the virus by the demonstra-
creasingly authoritarian forts to reimpose lockdown tors.
rule. restrictions against the vi- "It is so irresponsible to call
Demonstrators — who were rus, but have mushroomed upon people to gather and
defying a ban on mass into an expression of wider demonstrate when we are
gatherings amid a spike frustration with his hard-line faced with the most horrific
in virus infections — threw rule. numbers of infections from
bottles, rocks and flares at Vucic has denied that the coronavirus," Vucic told
the police guarding the "hooligans," who were seen reporters during his state
domed parliament build- beating up the peaceful visit to France.
ing in central Belgrade. protesters earlier this week, "I beg people, please let's
Smoke rose above the en- are under his control, claim- keep our health safe. No-
try stairway. Police used ing they were brought in by body is going to take pow-
their shields to push back the opposition. er by force. Power is taken
the protesters and prevent Speaking earlier Friday, at the elections. You can
them from entering the Vucic said he's not wor- protest as much as you
building. ried about losing political want when the epidemic is
Some opposition leaders power amid the protests, over," he said. q