A Dutch expert helping to identify victims from last year's MH17 airliner crash in Ukraine has been suspended after showing photographs of the dead at a public lecture, police said Thursday.
"He has been suspended from his work and we'll see if other measures need to be taken," Thomas Aling, spokesman for the Dutch national forensics investigation team LTFO, told AFP.
"Apparently he showed photos that cannot be shown at a public meeting," Aling said following the lecture given by George Maat and organised by a medical students association in southern city Maastricht.
Maat, an anthropologist at Leiden University, is also accused of making comments outside his realm of expertise, notably about the causes of the crash, which were "incorrect," Aling said.
All 298 passengers and crew onboard the Malaysia Airlines jetliner -- most of them Dutch -- died when it was shot down at high altitude over rebel-held eastern Ukraine in July last year.
Dutch Justice Minister Ard van der Steur said that Maat's lecture was "completely inappropriate and in bad taste".
Journalists from private television channel RTL Nieuws attended and first reported on the lecture, during which Maat showed photos of victims' body parts and explained elements of the identification process.
The remains of all but two victims, both Dutch, have been identified an international team of Dutch led experts.
The lecture was given early April to an audience of around 150 people and showing the photos would have been allowed for educational purposes if the general public were not allowed in.
A Facebook page advertising the lecture clearly said that it was open to the public.
The deputy head of the MH17 Air Disaster Association, Evert van Zijtveld, told AFP that showing the photos was "shameful and very shocking for victims' relatives, this adds to the grief."
Maat said he had not known that the lecture was not restricted to medical students.
"It appears that other people were there, I hadn't realised," he said in a statement released by the police.
"I'm very sorry to have hurt or distressed victims' loved ones."
Kiev and the West claim that the plane was shot down by the separatists using a BUK surface-to-air missile supplied by Russia. Moscow denies the charges, pointing the finger at Kiev.
The Netherlands has been charged with leading the investigation into the cause of the incident and identifying the victims of the flight from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur.
AFP
Thu Apr 23 2015
All 298 passengers and crew onboard the Malaysia Airlines jetliner -- most of them Dutch -- died when it was shot down at high altitude over rebel-held eastern Ukraine in July last year.
Seorang maut, lapan cedera serangan udara Israel di Kem Pelarian Jenin
Seorang penduduk Palestin terbunuh manakala lapan lagi cedera dalam serangan udara Israel ke atas kem pelarian Jenin di Tebing Barat yang diduduki pada Jumaat.
Uzbekistan mahu kerjasama dengan JAKIM dalam piawaian halal
Uzbekistan menyuarakan hasrat untuk bekerjasama dengan Jabatan Kemajuan Islam Malaysia (JAKIM) bagi memastikan piawaian halal di negara itu mencapai ke tahap yang sama seperti dilaksanakan oleh JAKIM, kata Perdana Menteri Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim.
Gaza sudah 10 hari tidak terima bekalan perubatan
Tiada bekalan perubatan diterima di Semenanjung Gaza selama 10 hari ketika Israel meneruskan serangan ganas ke atas wilayah terkepung itu.
Perhilitan selamatkan gajah jatuh longkang
Perhilitan Perak berjaya menyelamatkan seekor gajah betina yang jatuh longkang di Batu 11, Jalan Raya Timur-Barat (JRTB) berhampiran Tugu Peringatan JRTB di sini pada Jumaat.
Memerangi fahaman radikal & ancaman baharu pengganas
Untuk perincian berkenaan perkara ini kita bersama Penolong Profesor di Institut Pemikiran dan Tamadun Islam Antarabangsa Universiti Islam Antarabangsa Malaysia (ISTAC-IIUM), Dr Ahmad El Muhammady.
AWANI Ringkas: FBM KLCI dijangka dipacu ke paras rintangan 1,620
Ikuti rangkuman berita utama yang menjadi tumpuan sepanjang hari di Astro AWANI menerusi AWANI Ringkas.
Perkhidmatan telekomunikasi Yoodo tamat operasi 29 Ogos ini
Menurut perjanjian gabungan Celcom dan Digi sebelum ini, Celcom harus menutup ataupun menjual perniagaan Yoodo 18 bulan selepas gabungan tersebut dimeterai.
Malaysia, Uzbekistan kongsi amalan terbaik dalam pelancongan
Malaysia berharap untuk menjadi hab pelancongan bagi rantau Asia Tengah ke Malaysia serta negara-negara ASEAN.
Uzbekistan mahu bekerjasama dengan JAKIM dalam piawaian halal
Uzbekistan juga berhasrat untuk bekerjasama dengan Institut Jantung Negara (IJN) bagi meningkatkan kualiti rawatan di negara itu.
Zainal Rahim dilantik Pengerusi Majlis Perundingan Gaji Negara
Bekas Pengerusi SPA, Tan Sri Zainal Rahim Seman dilantik sebagai Pengerusi Majlis Perundingan Gaji Negara (MPGN) bagi tempoh 1 Mei 2024 sehingga 30 Sept 2026.