U.N.: Downing of MH17 May Be a War Crime

The U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights said the downing of Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 may constitute a war crime. On Monday, Navi Pillay said of the MH17 crash, “This violation of international law, given the prevailing circumstances, may amount to a war crime,” though she also noticed the jetliner was likely shot down by mistake. Pillay called for a major investigation into the MH17 crash to determine the details surrounding how the plane was shot down by a surface-to-air missile. Meanwhile, a team of Dutch and Australian investigators were blocked from the crash site over the weekend due to violent clashes in the area. The crash site is believed to have been significantly compromised and potential evidence is thought to have been been tampered with. Pillay’s announcement comes as her office releases a report that, as of Saturday, at least 1,129 people had been killed and 3,442 wounded during the outbreak of violence in Ukraine.