by Stephen Lendman

On July 17, Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 crashed near Donetsk. En route from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur. Killing all 283 passengers. Plus 15 crew members.

At the time, Washington blamed Donbas self-defense forces. Claiming a Russian-supplied Buk surface-to-air missile fired from territory they controlled.

Moscow blamed Ukraine. The Dutch Safety Board launched an investigation. Issuing a preliminary September 9 report. A final one to come later.

Initially saying MH17 "broke up in the air probably as the result of structural damage caused by a large number of high-energy objects that penetrated the aircraft from outside."

Voice and flight data recorders as well as air traffic control data suggest MH17 operated normally until 13:20:03 GMT.

No emergency call was made. Ukrainian air traffic control communications between 13:20 and 13:22:02 GMT were unanswered.

Ukraine's Security Service (SBU) lied. Claiming Donbas "terrorists" targeted a Russian Aeroflot airliner. Downed MH17 by mistake.

Media scoundrel reporting ended. Having accused Russia of direct involvement. Big Lies only go so far.

Not daring to blame Moscow for downing its own aircraft. Killing hundreds of passengers. Claiming a botched false flag. Blaming Ukraine for what happened.

A missile didn't down MH17. No credible evidence suggests it. Shrapnel marks indicate a 30 millimeter caliber projectile.

Fired at close range. From a military aircraft. Eyewitnesses reported a Ukrainian one flying close to MH17 when downed.

The New York Times and other Western media falsely blamed Russia and Donbas self-defense forces.

Kiev in collusion with Washington bore full responsibility. The obvious went unreported.

Cui bono? Clearly, Russia and Ukrainian freedom fighters had nothing to gain. Plenty to lose.

Kiev and Washington benefit greatly by blaming Moscow and Ukrainian freedom fighters for their crime.

The incident was a classic false flag. Planned in Washington. Executed by illegitimate fascist putschists. Falsely blamed on Russia and Donbas self-defense forces at the time.

On August 7, Malaysia's New Straits Times accused Washington and Kiev of downing MH17. Western media ignored its report.

Refuting the official propaganda narrative. Bursting the illusion of Russian/Donbas self-defense forces involvement.

At the same time, Moscow reported verifiable satellite and radar data. Showing a Ukrainian Sukhoi-25 warplane tailing MH17 before its destruction.

The New Straits Times cited "experts who had said that the photographs of the blast fragmentation patterns on the fuselage of the airliner showed two distinct shapes - the shredding pattern associated with a warhead packed with 'flechettes,’'and the more uniform, round-type penetration holes consistent with that of cannon rounds.”

It bears repeating. Fuselage photos showed penetration holes consistent with 30 millimeter cannon (machine gun) rounds.

No missile of any kind was involved. US and Western media claims otherwise were Big Lies.

Falsely blaming Moscow and Donbas freedom fighters for US/Kiev criminality. Citing no credible corroborating evidence. Suppressing key data vital to know.

Shamelessly accusing Putin of furthering his strategic goals. Covering up what happened. Failing to explain how downing a civilian airliner served Russian interests.

Truth is polar opposite. Systematically suppressed. Facts turned on their head.

On November 20, RT International headlined "Dutch government refuses to reveal 'secret deal' into MH17 crash probe," saying:

Its officials "refused to reveal details of a secret pact between members of the Joint Investigation Team examining the downed Flight MH17."

"If the participants, including Ukraine, don't want information to be released, it will be kept secret."

Why matters most. Full, accurate disclosure exposes the false propaganda narrative. Absolving Russia and Donbas freedom fighters. Incriminating Ukraine.

Dutch publication Elsevier asked Amsterdam Security and Justice Ministry officials to disclose Joint Investigation Team (JIT) agreement terms.

Plus 16 other documents. Under the Freedom of Information Act. JIT member countries include the Netherlands, Belgium, Australia and Ukraine.

Excluding Malaysian involvement in investigating its own downed aircraft. Russia with valuable satellite and radar data.

According to RT:

"Part of the agreement between the four countries and the Dutch Public Prosecution Service, ensures that all these parties have the right to secrecy."

"This means that if any of the countries involved believe that some of the evidence may be damaging to them, they have the right to keep this secret."

Ukrainian CyberBerkut hacktivists claim they penetrated Kiev's defense ministry internal network.

Finding proof about JIT providing Ukraine with secret MH17 crash data. Including information of its involvement.

An August 7 document shows Col. Igor Zorin's signature. Ukrainian air defense forces chief.

The report alleges a projectile fragment found in MH17 debris came from a Soviet era Buk or Buk M1 surface-to-air missile.

Its rectangular shape suggested it may have come from a 9N314 warhead atop a 9M38 anti-aircraft missile.

Dozens of Buk M1 systems remained in Ukraine after Soviet Russia's 1991 dissolution.

Russia's military only uses Buk-M1-2 and Buk-M2 missile systems.

On the day MH17 was downed, Ukraine's 156th SAM regiment reportedly conducted an unauthorized missile launch.

CyberBerkut hacktivists said information obtained shows JIT/Ukrainian defense ministry "special relations."

Retired Ukrainian air defense deputy chief Aleksandr Tazekhulakhov said photographic evidence showed fragment deformation. Making it impossible to define its form.

"The metal fragment depicted in the photo can’t be identified as part of any ballistic missile warhead," he said.

"Only after several types of tests, such as ballistic, chemical and spectral analysis, can any conclusion be made."

Four months after MH17's downing, little official about possible cause was released. Suggesting Dutch Security and Justice Ministry officials have something to hide.

Elsevier said international relations matter more than investigatory thoroughness. Truth and full disclosure. Information vital to know is suppressed.

Dutch Security and Justice Ministry officials saying it's to protect investigatory techniques and individuals involved. Citing a breach of privacy if revealed.

"If the information was to be released, then sensitive information would be passed between states and organizations, which would perhaps they would be less likely to share such information in the future," they said.

Dutch Christian Democratic Party MP Pieter Omtzigt requested information several times. To no avail, saying:

"We do not know what the Netherlands has committed itself to. The government neither published the agreement when we asked for it, nor did it show it to parliament."

"It is perfectly normal that the Netherlands cooperate with other countries in this complex investigation. Yet they even kept the existence of the agreement secret a first and that was unnecessary."

Malaysia ambassador to the Netherlands expressed concern about his country's JIT exclusion.

Even after Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte's November 5 Kuala Lumpur visit, an invitation didn't follow.

Malaysian Inspector-General of Police Khalid Abu Bakar was clear and unequivocal saying:

"We must first be included in the JIT. Otherwise it would be hard for us to cooperate in the investigation."

"The parties (involved) must include us in the team. Right now we are just a participant." With no access to information vital to know.

A Final Comment

On November 20, Itar Tass headlined "Moscow has questions about investigation into Boing crash in Ukraine - Foreign Ministry."

Investigatory procedures lack transparency. Full disclosure remains essential. It's sorely lacking.

According to Foreign Ministry spokesman Alexander Lukashevich:

"We share concerns of states and relatives of victims of the airliner crash about the investigation delay."

"We believe it is not justified that work to search for and gather fragments of the airliner at the crash site has started only now, four months after the tragedy."

"Active and energetic measures are needed to establish causes of the tragedy and bring the guilty to justice and prevent such incidents in future."

"We confirm our readiness for constructive cooperation on the issues with other states and competent international organizations."

"Russia has a lot of questions about circumstances of the tragedy and the organization of the international investigation, which in our view, is not transparent enough."

Washington, rogue EU partners and Kiev are using MH17's downing to aggravate international tensions, Lukashevich added.

Separately, Itar Tass reported new remains found at MH17's crash site. Its "atmosphere…remains unstable."

Remains are being sent to Kharkov. In Ukraine's east. For preliminary forensic examination. Then sent to the Netherlands.

It bears repeating. JIT investigatory procedures lack transparency. Coverup aims to suppress Kiev's responsibility for MH17's downing.

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Stephen Lendman lives in Chicago and can be reached at lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net.

His new book as editor and contributor is titled "Flashpoint in Ukraine: How the US Drive for Hegemony Risks World War III".

http://www.claritypress.com/LendmanIII.html

Visit his blog site at sjlendman.blogspot.com.

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