Parliament to debate MH17 investigation today

The lower house of Dutch parliament will discuss the preliminary results into the downing of flight MH17 with Prime Minister Mark Rutte on Wednesday afternoon.

Last month the Joint Investigation Team working on the criminal investigation into the downing of the Malaysia Airlines flight released the first conclusions of the investigation. The team concluded that the BUK missile system used to shoot down the plane was fired from a field in the Ukriane that was under the control of pro-Russian separatists at the time. The team also tracked the missile system coming from Russia to that field and then going back to Russia - minus one missile - after the plane was shot down.

After these results were published, the Tweede Kamer - the lower house of Dutch parliament - called for pressure to be incresed on the Russian governmet, according to the Telegraaf.

The Russians responded to the results by stating that the investigation is "biased and politicially motivated". They also claim that the JIT did not use all available information, referring to radar images Russia released shortly before the results were presented. Minister Bert Koenders of Foreign Affairs arranged a meeting with the Russian ambassador to the Netherlands and called him to task for his country's statements, making clear that baseless accusations are unacceptable. In return Russia summoned the Dutch ambassador in Moscow to the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

The criminal investigation into the downing of MH17 is still ongoing. It is unclear when it will be done. At the presentation of the preliminary results, the JIT revealed that they have about 100 persons of interest in the investigation.

Flight MH17 was shot down over eastern Ukraine on July 17th, 2014. All 298 people on board were killed, including 196 Dutch.