Flight MH17 crash: three men sentenced to life in the Netherlands
The court presided over by Judge Steenhuis (second from left) during the verdict in the trial of four men prosecuted for their involvement in the case of the crash of flight MH17, in Badhoevedorp, the Netherlands, November 17, 2022. The crash of flight MH17 caused the death of 298 passengers and crew members.
The Boeing 777 flying from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur was hit over separatist-held eastern Ukraine by what investigators say was a missile supplied by Moscow.
AFP - JOHN THYS
Text by: RFI Follow
2 mins
A Dutch court on Thursday (November 17th) sentenced three men to life and acquitted another for the downing of Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 over Ukraine in 2014, amid rising tensions over the Russian invasion. current.
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Russians Igor Girkin and Sergei Dubinsky and Ukrainian Leonid Kharchenko have been '
convicted
' of murder and playing a role in the downing of a plane, Russian Oleg Poulatov has been acquitted, presiding judge Hendrik has said Steenhuis.
The first three were convicted in absentia, as all
four men
refused to attend the trial, which lasted two and a half years.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky for his part welcomed this "
important decision
".
"
Punishment for all Russian atrocities - both yesterday and today - will be inevitable
," he added.
Important court decision in The Hague.
First sentences for the perpetrators of #MH17 downing.
Holding to account masterminds is crucial too, as the feeling of impunity leads to new crimes.
We must dispel this illusion.
Punishment for all RF's atrocities then & now is inevitable.
— Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) November 17, 2022
Many relatives of the victims from all over the world traveled to witness the announcement of this highly anticipated verdict in a highly secure court near Amsterdam-Schiphol airport, from where the Boeing 777 had taken off on July 17 2014. The trial is still subject to appeal.
An abundance of evidence all linked to a BUK missile launch
All 298 passengers and crew were killed when the plane from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur was hit over eastern Ukraine, held by pro-Russian separatists, by what prosecutors say is a missile supplied by Moscow.
Judges ruled that Igor Girkinen, Sergei Dubinsky and Leonid Kharchenko could all be held responsible for transporting the BUK missile from a military base in Russia and deploying it to the launch site, even though they did not support themselves on the trigger.
There was insufficient evidence to show that Oleg Pulatov, the only suspect to have legal representation during the trial, was involved, they said.
"
The court is of the opinion that the crash of flight MH17 was caused by the firing of a BUK missile from an agricultural field near Pervomaiskyi (in eastern Ukraine), killing all passengers
," said Presiding Judge Hendrik Steenhuis.
“
There is an abundance of evidence to support this conclusion
,” such as a “
butterfly-shaped fragment of the missile found in the body of a crew member
” in the cockpit, he explained .
The court thus rejected an alternative scenario put forward by the defense which evoked the possibility of the involvement of a Ukrainian fighter plane.
(
With
AFP)
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