German family wants 1 million euro for MH17 victim

At least one million euros should be paid to each family of the German crash victims, states a law suit filed by the family of a German air-crash victim on MH17.

Ukraine should have closed its airspace if it couldn’t provide for the safety of flights over its territory, Elmar Giemulla, a professor of aviation law representing the three families of German victims, told Bild am Sonntag, a German Sunday newspaper.

The families of German citizens killed in the Malaysian plane crash in eastern Ukraine are planning to sue the Ukrainian authorities in the European Court of Human Rights, accusing them of manslaughter by negligence.

“Each state is responsible for the security of its air space,” Giemulla said. “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.”

According to Giemulla, by leaving the airspace open, Kiev authorities “destroyed” the lives of hundreds of innocent people. Thus, Ukraine committed human rights violations, he concluded.

Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 was shot down on its way from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur over eastern Ukraine on July 17. Among the 298 victims killed in the incident were four German citizens.