CONGRESSWOMAN SHEILA JACKSON LEE CONDEMNS THE RUSSIAN SEPARATIST FOR DELAYING ACCESS TO THE INTERNATIONAL INVESTIGATORY TEAMS TO THE CRASH SITE AND FOR THE MISUSE AND ABUSE TO THE BODIES AND THEIR PERSONAL BELONGINGS

WASHINGTON, DC—Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee, a Senior Member of the House Homeland Security Committee, released the following statement regarding the heinous actions by the pro-Russian Separatists in Ukraine who refuse to turn over the bodies of the victims of Malaysian Airlines Flight 17:

“My thoughts and prayers continue to be with the families of the passengers of Flight 17.  The lawless actions of the separatists in eastern Ukraine must be stopped now!!!!!! The Russian Government bears responsibility for this atrocity by supplying the separatists with advanced weapons and encouraging their assaults on Ukrainian forces, including shooting down military aircraft.  Vladimir Putin has the power to end this conflict by pressing the separatists to accept President Poroshenko’s accommodating plan to bring peace to Ukraine and prevent further bloodshed.

“Today while in Houston I went and paid my respects to those who lost their lives in this heinous incident. The Russian separatists must stop threating the lives of those responsible for investigating this crime. They must also allow the families to come to the crash area if they want to. There needs to be a prompt international investigation with unimpeded access to the crash site. Also, as the party responsible for arming the separatists, Russia needs to publicly call on the separatists to lay down their weapons and grant immediate access to international and Ukrainian investigators. Russia also has the obligation to support a mutual ceasefire, a roadmap for peace talks, secure the release of the bodies of the victims, an Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) border monitoring mission, and most importantly, to halt the flow of heavy weapons – including anti-aircraft systems and other equipment – across the border.

“Again, the strongest sanctions must be placed on Russia and President Putin. A cease fire must start right now and the separatist must admit failure and defeat so that the Ukraine government can govern all of Ukraine and the world should stand collectively in condemning this horrible intrusion into the peaceful use of international skies. As a member of the House Homeland Security Committee I will seek congressional hearings on this aviation terrorist act.”

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