Russian Federation voted against a United Nations Security Council resolution Wednesday that would have created a tribunal to prosecute those involved in the shooting down of Malaysian Airlines flight MH17.
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Three countries abstained from the vote: China, Angola and Venezuela, whose ambassador said victims’ suffering shouldn’t be used politically.
“We believe that a tribunal with the backing of the UN security council is mot likely to be able to deliver justice and we don’t want it politicised”.
“Russia has callously disregarded the public outcry in the grieving nations”, U.S. Ambassador Samantha Power said, adding that the United States was among the 18 countries that lost citizens in the disaster.
The aircraft, which was allegedly shot down by a Russia-made BUK missile, crashed inside a region in which Ukrainian troops and Russian-backed rebels were fighting the east Ukraine war.
The government in Moscow argues that such a venue wouldn’t provide a fair trial because Russian Federation is unlikely to have any part in it, according to the official, who asked not to be named as the deliberations are private and said a final decision hasn’t been made.
She said Australia, the Netherlands, Malaysia, Belgium and Ukraine would now seek an alternative prosecution mechanism.
“The question is, ‘Why does the UN see the need to take over something that is already being handled through other channels?’ And the only reason that I can think of is that the real reason is political,” he said. All 298 people onboard died.
Eleven nations on the 15-member council are in favour of the tribunal.
Malaysia’s Transport Minister Liow Tiong Lai said the vote sent a “dangerous message of impunity to the perpetrator of this heinous crime”.
“We are against it”, Churkin said.
Russian Federation warned that the tribunal would lead to even more confrontation in the worldwide arena as it is intended to assign blame to those who Washington wishes to finger as responsible for the crash.
The Dutch Safety Board that has been heading an global investigation into the cause of the crash is due to release its official report in October, while the criminal investigation is expected to continue until the end of this year.
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A separate probe by the Dutch national prosecutor’s office aims to establishing who was responsible.
