Theodoros Rousopoulos, President of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE), today made the following statement:
"On the eve of the eleventh anniversary of the downing of Malaysia Airlines flight MH17, the European Court of Human Rights delivered a judgment attributing responsibility to Russia for the deaths of the 298 people on board. Ruling on an inter-State case submitted by Ukraine and the Netherlands, the Court has further determined that Russia pursued a systematic pattern of human rights violations in Ukraine since 2014. These encompass extrajudicial killings of Ukrainian civilians and soldiers, torture, rape and sexual violence, forced labour, arbitrary detention, abductions, forcible transfer and adoption of Ukrainian children, and the suppression of basic freedoms. Today's landmark judgment is the first judicial decision by an international court, formally establishing Russia's responsibility for the consequences of its full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
My thoughts today are, foremost, with the families and friends of 298 passengers and crew of flight MH17 whose lives were violently cut short by a Russian missile, and with the resilient people of Ukraine. I pay tribute to all those who, for over a decade, have tirelessly pursued justice. The European Court of Human Rights has validated what our Assembly has long asserted: Russia's actions in eastern Ukraine since 2014, its indiscriminate targeting of a passenger aircraft, and its full-scale invasion of Ukraine constitute multiple and serious violations of human rights and international humanitarian law. As the Court notes in its judgment, the events examined in this case are unprecedented in the history of the Council of Europe, demonstrating Russia's blatant disregard for the foundations of the international legal order established after the Second World War.
Today's judgment, while historic, must not be regarded as an end, but only a beginning. Our resolve to support Ukraine must be stronger than ever. The international community must use all necessary means to ensure the full implementation of this judgment, which is legally binding for the Russian Federation. I urge the Russian authorities to implement this judgment, including by releasing or returning all those unlawfully detained, and by cooperating in establishing an international mechanism to identify and return Ukrainian children, as expressly indicated by the Court.
The Assembly will continue to work towards ensuring the full accountability of the Russian Federation and its leadership for their egregious violations of human rights and international law."
European Court of Human Rights' press release
PACE Resolution 2452 on "Ensuring accountability for the downing of flight MH17"
Report by Titus Corlăţean (Romania, SOC) on "Ensuring accountability for the downing of flight MH17"
Russian Federation's war of aggression against Ukraine: special page
