Malaysia Airlines MH17 crash: Downing of MH17 'may amount to a war crime', says UN

[dipsydoodle]

Source: Straits Tmies / AFP

KIEV (AFP) - The downing of Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 "may amount to a war crime", the UN said on Monday, adding that fighting in east Ukraine has claimed over 1,100 lives with both government and rebel forces using heavy weaponry in built-up areas.

"This violation of international law, given the prevailing circumstances, may amount to a war crime," the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay said of the downing of MH17, as UN figures showed at least 1,129 people have been killed in fighting since April.


Read more: http://www.straitstimes.com/news/asia/south-east-asia/story/malaysia-airlines-mh17-crash-downing-mh17-may-amount-war-crime-says-

[Scootaloo]

1. Wonder if the US will go to bat for the deliberate targting of civilians here, like we do elsewhere?

Oh right, whether war crimes are bad or not depends entirely on who performs them.

[dawn frenzy adams]

2. So let me get this straight.

This is a War Crime, but the open air massacre in the Gaza Strip...isn't?

[stevenleser]

7. That's potentially correct. If you understand the nuances of the law involved.

I recall that when the US attacked Iraq, the 'shock and awe' attacks were reported to the UN as war crimes as well. The response from the UN, and I will have to paraphrase as I cannot remember the exact wording, was that a particular attack is a war crime if there is no military objective or if the civilian death is out of proportion to the potential military benefit. Thus, shock and awe was not a war crime. If the Israelis have a plausible military objectives for their attacks and the civilian casualty rate is not out of proportion to the objective, the UN will not regard it as a war crime.

The downing of a civilian airliner has zero military objective.

[Igel]

8. That's pretty much it.

The military folk occupying a territory that's "civilian"--whether an apt. building, a school, or a place of worship--has the lion's share of the responsibility for an attack. A soldier in a mosque isn't sufficient cause. 10 soldiers in a group of worshippers they've taken hostage isn't sufficient cause. But if those 10 soldiers are sitting on a huge pile of munitions and 8 of the "soldiers" are the generals and leaders of the war effort, ah, well, collateral damage is a fact of war.

[christx30]

3. So, UN,

you sure talk a good game. But you going to do anything about it? You doing to do more than write someone's name on the board? You going to actually to put any teeth into anything you do?

[sendero]

4. Wow......

.... should get a job at the UN, if stating the GLARINGLY OBVIOUS is all it entails.

[ColesCountyDem]

5. Conflators and the "US bad, Russia good" crowd chiming in in 5... 4... 3... 2... 1... n/t

[DiverDave]

6. "MIGHT?"

Seriously? That weapon can tell the difference between military and civilian radar emissions.
They knew.

[Igel]

9. IIRC, the "weapon" consists of three parts.

It's possible to use the launcher separate from the other parts. The launcher's relatively stupid.

If the user isn't entirely competent, we're attributing to malice that which can be adequately explained by stupidity.

I'm a firm believer in Hanlon's razor.

[stevenleser]

10. Correct. Of course, since the Russians are supporting them, they should have given them the parts

that enable distinguishing between targets and non-targets. Even if the rebels did get the parts they have from seizing them from Ukraine.

[dipsydoodle]

11. Might depend on age of the device.

When Ukraine shot down Siberian Airlines Flight 1812 back in 2001 during exercises the missile had missed the drone target and flown another 150 miles before destroyng 1812.