New | Families of German MH17 victims to sue Ukraine president over downed flight
Lawsuit demands 1 million euros for each of four German victims as relatives take Ukraine to task for failing to close air space during conflict
Relatives of German victims of downed Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 plan to sue Ukraine and its president for criminal negligence for not closing the country’s airspace, a lawyer said on Sunday.
Elmar Giemulla, an attorney and professor of aviation law who is representing three German families, said he would file suit soon before the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg.
“Every country bears the responsibility for the security of its airspace,” he wrote in a statement sent to Agence France-Presse.
“By keeping its airspace open for transit by aircraft from other countries, the state must ensure the safety of the flights. If this is temporarily impossible, it means that it should close its airspace.”
The Malaysia Airlines Boeing 777 exploded over insurgent-held east Ukraine on July 17, killing all 298 on board, 193 of them Dutch.
Four were German, according to the airline.