El Secretary General, António Guterres, remembers the 298 people who died ten years ago in "the tragic collapse" of flight MH17 Malaysian Airlines on conflict-affected eastern Ukraine, the UN spokesperson said in a statement.
The Boeing 777 aircraft was en route from Amsterdam, Netherlands, to the Malaysian capital, Kuala Lumpur, when it was shot down near the border with Russia in an area controlled by pro-Russian rebels on July 17, 2014.
All 283 passengers and 15 crew members, representing some 16 countries, died. Among the passengers were 196 Dutch citizens, according to the Dutch government.
UN chief appeal
«On the tenth anniversary of the tragic downing of flight MH17 Malaysian Airlines "On eastern Ukraine, the Secretary General sadly remembers the 298 victims who lost their lives," the statement said.
"In full solidarity with the families of the victims and in honor of their memory, the UN leader renews his call to all States to provide their full cooperation in accordance with resolution 2166 of the Security Council, adopted in 2014, to ensure that those responsible are held accountable, following the important work of the independent Joint Investigation Team,” he continued.
Resolution 2166 calls for a complete, exhaustive and independent investigation of the incident.
The Joint Investigation Team, led by the Netherlands, was created in August 2014 and included countries affected by the accident, such as Australia, Malaysia and Belgium, and Ukraine.
In May 2018, that group determined that the missile system used to shoot down the plane came from a Russian brigade. At the time, Russia said there was no evidence to support the conclusions.
Trial in Holland
The Netherlands prosecuted four people in The Hague, including three Russians and a Ukrainian, for shooting down flight MH17 and killing everyone on board. They were tried in absentia, since both the Russian and Ukrainian Constitutions do not allow extradition.
Preliminary hearings began in March 2020 at the District Court in The Hague. The trial concluded in November 2022 and three defendants were found guilty, while the fourth was acquitted.
Since the crash, the war in Ukraine has escalated following the start of the large-scale Russian incursion in February 2022. More than 11.000 people have died to date.