Europe's rights court finds Europe's rights court finds Russia guilty in Ukraine

The Hague: Europe's top human rights court delivered two rulings against Russia Wednesday, stating in the first ruling that Russia violated inter national law during the conflict in Ukraine, the first time an international court has found Moscow responsible for hu man rights abuses since the full-scale invasion in 2022.

The court also ruled Russia was behind the downing of Flight MH17, the first time Moscow was named by an international court as being responsible for the 2014 tragedy that claimed 298 lives. Judges at the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg are ruling on four cases brought by Ukraine and the Netherlands against Russia, encompassing a wide range of alleged human rights violations during the full-scale invasion since the start of the war, including the downing of the downing of Malaysia Air lines Flight 17 and kidnapping Ukrainian children.

Any decision will be largely symbolic. The complaints were brought before the court's governing body expelled Moscow in 2022, following the full-scale invasion. Families of the victims of the MH17 disaster see the decision as an important milestone in their 11-year quest for justice.

“It's a real step in under standing who was really re sponsible,” Thomas Schans man, who lost his 18-year-old son Quinn in the tragedy, told The Associated Press. The Boeing 777 flying from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur was shot down on July 17, 2014, using a Russian-made Buk missile fired from territory in eastern Ukraine controlled by separatist rebels.

All 298 passengers and crew were killed, including 196 Dutch citizens. In May, the UN's aviation agency found Russia responsible for the disaster. The ECHR is an important part of the Council of Europe, which is the continent's fore most human rights institution. Russia was expelled from the council over Moscow's invasion and war in Ukraine. How ever, the court can still deal with cases against Russia dating from before its expulsion.

In 2023, the judges sided with Ukraine and the Nether lands in a challenge over jurisdiction, finding there was sufficient evidence to show areas in eastern Ukraine con trolled by separatist rebels were “under the jurisdiction of the Russian Federation,” including providing weapons, and giving political and economic support. (AP)