German families to sue Ukraine for downing of flight MH17


A group of German families who lost relatives when Malaysian Airlines Flight MH17 went down in Ukraine plans to sue the country for not securing its airspace. A lawyer representing the group said Sunday they would be suing Ukraine and President Petro Poroshenko for manslaughter and negligence in the plane's downing, arguing that Ukraine was at fault for not closing its airspace despite unsafe conditions on the ground.
"Each state is responsible for the security of its air space," the lawyer, Elmar Giemulla, told Reuters. "If it is not able to do so temporarily, it must close its air space. As that did not happen, Ukraine is liable for the damage."
The plane crashed in July after allegedly being hit by pro-Russian rebels who mistook it for a Ukrainian military plane, killing all 298 people on board.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Continue reading for free
We hope you're enjoying The Week's refreshingly open-minded journalism.
Subscribed to The Week? Register your account with the same email as your subscription.