Angry families of MH17 crash victims seek U.N. investigation

[Stratford57]

(Reuters) - Relatives of MH17 crash victims, angered by what they see as Dutch mishandling of inquiries into the disaster, want a special U.N. envoy to launch an international investigation.

A letter sent to Prime Minister Mark Rutte on Friday, a copy of which was seen by Reuters, said Dutch officials had failed to build a case. They asked that inquiries by the Safety Board and prosecution service be handed over to the United Nations.

Dutch investigators, leading a case involving 11 countries, have not concluded how the plane was shot down or identified suspects.

The Netherlands "has completely botched" the fact-finding investigation and the legal framework of the case, said the letter, sent on behalf of 20 relatives from Belgium, Germany, the Netherlands and the United States.

"Nobody knows who is doing what," said Bob van der Goen, a spokesman for the law firm. "There is no coordination, there is no leadership whatsoever (by) Holland."

An international inquiry is the only way to identify who shot down the plane and ensure they are brought to court, the letter said.

Angry families of MH17 crash victims seek U.N. investigation Reuters

Obama claimed to have "irrefutable evidence",made promises to publish it and never did. Sounds like he's trying to hide something. Those, who shot the plane, no matter who's interests they represent, should be found and punished, and the world needs to see the evidence. If Obama has evidence then he owes to the world to show it for the sake of victim’s memory and their families. Don’t you think the society must start pushing him to publish the evidence? Obama is known from the past for hiding facts about Obamacare, IRS scandal, Benghazi and even his grades, among other things. Sounds like if somebody is hiding something, he has pretty good reasons for hiding it.

 

[waltky]

BUK missile part found at scene of MH17 crash site...

Missile part found at Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 crash site
June 7, 2016 - The component, part of a Buk missile's exhaust system, suggests the plane was downed by a missile strike, as suspected.

Investigators in the Netherlands on Tuesday released the photo of a missile part discovered at the Ukrainian crash site of Malaysia Airlines Flight 17. A venturi tube, part of the Russian-designed Buk missile's exhaust system, was found at the site in eastern Ukraine where the Boeing 777 crashed while flying from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur. All 298 people on board the aircraft died. Ukraine and Western countries have said a Buk missile was fired at the plane by Russian-backed rebels in Ukraine; Russia says it was Ukrainian forces that fired the missile.

The plane crashed at the height of a conflict between Ukrainian and rebel forces in eastern Ukraine, and came down in rebel-controlled territory. An interim report Tuesday was issued by a Joint Investigative Team, which is working in the Netherlands with a field office in Kiev. Comprised of experts from Australia, Malaysia, Ukraine, Belgium and the Netherlands, it has not yet specifically blamed any side for firing the missile, but is doing extensive research for upcoming criminal and civil trials.

The Dutch Safety Board, or OVV, did not assign blame at the time, though board President Djibbe Joustra said the area from which it was fired was rebel-held territory. "The Dutch Safety Board concluded in October 2015 that the aircraft had crashed due to the impact with a Buk missile, which would suggest that the type of weapon has been clearly established. For the criminal investigation, the evidential standard is set much higher than for the OVV," the report says. The interim report is the first public look at evidence tying the plane's crash to a missile strike. Some families of victims are suing Russia and Russian President Vladimir Putin in the European Court of Human Rights.

Missile part found at Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 crash site