Survivors of German victims of Malaysia Airlines Flight MH17, shot down over Ukraine, plan to sue Ukraine and its president for manslaughter by negligence, the lawyer representing them said on Sunday.

Elmar Giemulla, a professor of aviation law who is representing three families of German victims, said that under international law, Ukraine should have closed its airspace if it could not guarantee the safety of flights.

"Each state is responsible for the security of its airspace," Giemulla said in a statement e-mailed to Reuters. "If it is not able to do so temporarily, it must close its airspace. As that did not happen, Ukraine is liable for the damage."

The jetliner, en route from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur, crashed in Ukraine on July 17, killing 298 people, two-thirds of them from the Netherlands. Four Germans died in the crash.

Giemulla plans to hand his case to the European Court of Human Rights in two weeks, accusing Ukraine and its president, Petro Poroshenko, of manslaughter by negligence in 298 cases. He will also push for compensation of up to $1.3 million per victim.

Reuters

(China Daily 09/22/2014 page12)