MOSCOW (Sputnik), Anastasia Levchenko — On Thursday, the Dutch authorities published over 500 documents linked to the July 2014 MH17 flight crash following a freedom of information request by a number of news outlets.
However, some 150 of the requested documents remain classified, triggering discussions in the media about the controversial progress of the investigation.
In regards to the issue, Jean Fransman, deputy head of press briefings and policy presentations at the Ministry of Security and Justice told Sputnik:
"Under the Dutch law it is possible to make exemption on these document of the government. Those exemptions are for example national security or private opinions of civil servants. On every document is stated why (parts of) information is not made public."
The 575 documents mostly consist of emails from the National Crisis Core Team, established shortly after the catastrophe. In the documents, members of the team discuss ways of communication with the relatives of victims and condolence registers. Some documents also focus on reports about an oxygen mask allegedly found on one of the passengers after the crash.
According to a preliminary report, the plane is likely to have broken up in mid-air after high-energy objects penetrated the fuselage.
Shortly after the tragedy, the United States and Ukraine accused eastern Ukrainian militia of downing the flight with a Russian-made Buk missile. However, Kiev failed to provide any evidence to support its accusations.
A final report on the investigation is expected to be published by the Dutch Safety Board in mid-2015.
