WILLFUL IGNORANCE

Malaysian Prime Minister Denies Clear Evidence Russia Was Behind Downing of MH17

Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad won’t accept extensive evidence laid out Wednesday by a team of international investigators.

Just one day after a team of international investigators laid out clear and extensive evidence of Russia’s culpability in the downing of Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 over Ukraine in 2014, the prime minister of Malaysia has insisted there’s no proof that Russia was behind the attack. On Wednesday, investigators announced murder charges against four people, including three Russian intelligence officers, and presented reams of hard evidence against them. On Thursday, Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad said: “We are very unhappy because from the very beginning, it became a political issue on how to accuse Russia of the wrongdoing... Even before they examine [the debris], they already say Russia. So it is very difficult for us to accept that.” Mahathir denied the stance was down to the country’s reliance on Russia as a major buyer of its palm oil as other countries are trying to outlaw it. “No, that’s different,” he said.