Suspects in the 2014 downing of passenger flight MH17 in eastern Ukraine will be tried in Dutch court and under Dutch law, the Netherlands’ Foreign Ministry said on Wednesday.
The decision follows attempts, blocked by Russia in 2015, to set up an international court over the incident, which killed all 298 people aboard the Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 on July 17, 2014.
Victims came from 17 countries, and included 196 Dutch.
The Dutch Safety Board which investigated the incident concluded in October 2015 that the plane was downed by a Russian-made rocket.
Investigators said in September 2016 that the rocket was fired from territory held by pro-Russia separatists.
Foreign Minister Bert Koenders said in a statement on Wednesday that the Dutch-led investigative team, which also included Australia, Belgium, Malaysia, and Ukraine, would continue to operate during the “prosecution phase.”
No suspects have yet been named. Reuters/NAN)
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