The Netherlands and Australia have asked the Council of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) to force Russia to cooperate with its investigation of Malaysia Airlines Flight MH17 which was shot down in July of 2014.
This was the flight that was shot down over Eastern Ukraine, killing 298 people. In 2022, the court found three people guilty and sentenced them in absentia to life imprisonment. They have not been detained or extradited because Russia refutes the court’s legitimacy.
Russia did participate in this investigation until June of 2024 when the Kremlin decided that the investigation was politically motivated. Russia accused the ICAO of ignoring evidence and accused Ukraine of continuing the war in the region in 2014, which they did in violation of the Minsk Accords.
Also, the ICAO ruling on guilt was not really a trial. It was a voting session by United Nations member states.
The investigation was led by representatives from Australia, Belgium, Malaysia, the Netherlands and Ukraine. Russia was not allowed representatives to assist.
