mh17
On Tuesday August 11th, the Dutch Public Prosecutor announced that the Dutch Safety Board (DSB) and the Joint Investigation Team (JIT) had investigated several parts, possibly originating from a Buk surface-to-air missile system, that had been found during a previous recovery mission in eastern Ukraine.

Chief investigator with the Dutch National Prosecutors' Office, Fred Westerbeke, remarked on the announcement:
"We found seven parts. Parts that from the first investigation were shown to not originate from the plane. Further investigation showed that these parts probably originate from a missile system - and most likely even a BUK missile system. They were found during the various recovery operations that took place a month or two ago and you can imagine that we are talking here about a complete aircraft - or a big part of an aircraft - with all kinds of pieces that have been brought here and researched and where reconstruction takes place. So it's not something to be viewed as: well, here are a few pieces, do some research on it, and that's it. This concerns a gigantic research of which these pieces are a part."
Westerbeke stresses that he is involved in an ongoing and serious investigation that takes time, yet talks freely to the press about the possibility that the non-Boeing pieces might be from a Buk missile launcher! Along with this blatant attempt to influence the investigation, the Public Prosecutor stated in the same announcement that "at present the conclusion cannot be drawn that there is a causal connection between the discovered parts and the crash of flight MH17." Are these people schizophrenic? Or are we expected to believe that a Buk missile launcher just happened to be found among the wreckage but wasn't used to shoot down MH17 as Western governments and their media lackey's have been touting for over a year? The Dutch investigation team are clearly talking out of both sides of their mouths and this investigation is already a consummate farce with a conclusion established long before the final report is delivered.

Of course, the mainstream media wasted no time in seizing on the statements and using them in the latest round of the game "Let's all defame Russia". To name a few examples of many: BBC's "MH17: 'Russian missile parts' at Ukraine crash site", The Independent's "MH17 crash: Fragments of Russian missile BUK launcher found at crash site", Yahoo News' "MH17 probe finds 'probable' Russian missile pieces at crash site".

Despite making these claims that they surely knew would end up making global headlines, the Joint Investigation Team spokesman Wim de Bruin cynically told RT: "it's too early to draw any conclusion at this moment."

Denis Pushilin, representative of the self-proclaimed Donetsk People's Republic (DPR), said:
"I am absolutely sure that no evidence will follow these remarks. We have already heard the United States say that Ukraine has some evidence on the Boeing-777 crash but we have not seen it. It's going to be the same this time," Pushilin said.

"The fact that they have not even collected the plane fragments properly is a source of my great concern. We can still see rather huge parts of the plane lying on the ground. We have urged them many times to come and take them away. Without them the investigation is going to be difficult," Pushilin explained adding that various political statements could be made to this effect.

He added that attempts were being made to politicize the investigation.
Indeed, the investigation so far has been limited to say the least, and appears to be designed not to find out what happened to MH17, but to blame Russia, one way or another. As RT's 'MH17: A year without truth' documentary showed, many parts of the plane were left at the site for a much longer time than is appropriate for an allegedly official investigation, as chief investigator Westerbeke claims it to be.

Additionally, Dutch citizen journalist Max van der Werff went to the crash site and spoke with eyewitnesses there. He was told that Western journalists were not interested in their stories, and that Dutch investigators had not interviewed them.

Access to MH17 document refused

minister ard van der steur
© ANPDutch Minister Ard van der Steur of Security and Justice
In related news, Dutch television news service RTL Nieuws filed a request via the Freedom of Information Act for access to information about the crash of MH17 and the aftermath when decisions were made by Dutch and other Western officials about how the investigation should proceed. Their request was refused. According to Security and Justice Minister Ard van der Steur, the decisions made are "interwoven" with the opinions of officials and politicians, and therefore "the disclosure of factual information must also be refused." Disappointed with the refusal, RTL Nieuws said that they're going to "study this decision and see whether there are grounds to pursue the request in court." It appears that the secrecy surrounding the immediate aftermath, and the investigation itself, is starting to frustrate even some Dutch mainstream media journalists.

Dutch media outlet NOS nominates itself for an Emmy

Image
Another interesting news bite concerning MH17 is that Dutch media outlet NOS received an Emmy nomination for their TV-broadcast of the national day of mourning for the victims of MH17. Like most other Western mainstream media outlets, NOS quickly jumped on the 'Russia-did-it' bandwagon and has supported the 'Buk' narrative as the cause of the destruction of MH17. Earlier this year, a reporter from NOS, Gert-Jan Dennekamp, together with a reporter from the Dutch daily newspaper De Volkskrant, Bert Lanting, traveled to Ukraine in search of proof of a Buk missile system.

In the report of their search, they write: "The investigation team is looking for witnesses who saw the launch installation of that rocket in the days before and after the incident. There are plenty of those witnesses. It's visible on many pictures and videos and is mentioned in witness statements." They note that they have spoken to witnesses who described the sound of a launch, and that there were others who saw the rocket. They claim the witnesses wish to remain anonymous due to fear of reprisals from rebels. The NOS report is based on the reporters' a priori belief that a Buk surface-to-air system was actually present and that it was the cause of the incident. They are apparently ignorant of the fact that this narrative has been exposed as false many times.

As of today, not one piece of evidence proving that MH17 was shot down by a Russian Buk missile launcher has been presented. If anything, current data suggests that MH17 was shot down by a jet fighter, followed by a bomb that exploded in the fuselage.

In any case, NOS was the media outlet that broadcast the national day of mourning which took place on July 23rd, 2014. It is disconcerting to think that a media outlet that has been trying to force the Buk launcher idea on the general public, without a shred of evidence to back it up, would receive any kind of 'prize'. NOS director Jan de Jong said that it's a nomination you'd rather not have. "The reason for it is too sad," he said. He is, however, proud to be nominated. He said that, regardless of the short preparation time of 22 hours, it was a broadcast that is etched into the collective memory.

What people may not know is that producers and directors nominate themselves for an Emmy!
International Emmy Awards, Frequently Asked Questions (Submissions)

Entries

Do I need to be a Member of the Academy to submit my program(s)?
Any non-U.S. organization or individual (i.e. a network, a local or regional television station, producer, director, or writer) may submit a program (Unless your program qualifies for the Non-English Language US Primetime Program category). Organizations or individuals who do not hold copyright ownership of a program must obtain consent from the rights owner before presenting a submission. This process is independent from membership.
In addition, NOS was required to pay 400 dollars (that is, taxpayers' money) as a registration fee. So, while at first glance one might think that the words of de Jong are humble, once you understand that they themselves submitted their report for an Emmy award, a different picture emerges. If it is a nomination you'd rather not have because of the tragic nature of the event, why submit it? Cynical grand-standing? Manipulative Russia-bashing?

While some people in the Netherlands and abroad have shed real tears over the MH17 incident, especially the relatives of the victims, and have requested information, facts, clarity, and support from the Dutch government, it appears all they've been getting is propaganda, lies, obstruction, unfounded claims, secrecy and crocodile tears.