MH17 launch trial: three life sentences for 298 murders

Life imprisonment for shooting down a passenger plane and murdering the occupants – according to the verdict against three defendants in the MH17 trial. The court detailed the day of the shooting down and also commented on Russia’s role.

An acquittal, three times life imprisonment for shooting down a passenger plane and 298 murders: This is the verdict after two and a half years of trial and around 70 days of trial. The judges found it proven that three of the four defendants shared responsibility for the use of the BUK missile system, even if they had not pressed the button themselves. And probably, according to the presiding judge Hendrik Steenhuis, it was not flight MH17 that was targeted, but a military aircraft.

“In this respect, there must have been a mix-up. But that doesn’t change the fact that it was intentional and premeditated. It is important that the suspects were not regular soldiers and therefore, like any other citizen, were not authorized to approach any aircraft shoot,” said Steenhuis.

Acquittal for a fourth accused

The court dissected the daily routine on July 17, 2014 and the distribution of roles among the four accused in detail. According to the judges, the Ukrainian Leonid Kharchenko commanded a unit of pro-Russian separatists and accompanied and monitored the transport of the Buk convoy. The order to do so came from his superior, intelligence chief Sergei Dubinskii. As the so-called defense minister of the self-proclaimed People’s Republic of Donetsk, Igor Girkin had supreme authority at the time. Judge Steenhuis said he was always in close contact with Moscow and the Kremlin.

The court therefore sentenced all three defendants to life imprisonment. The deputy regional commander, Oleg Pulatov, who was the only one of the accused to be represented by lawyers before the court, was acquitted. According to the court, there is no evidence that Pulatov himself actually contributed to the use of the weapon system. He also bears no criminal responsibility for the contribution of others to this mission.

16 million euros in damages

The Amsterdam judges awarded the relatives of the victims damages totaling 16 million euros. A sum that the perpetrators actually have to pay. Initially, however, this will be done by the Dutch state.

Around 250 relatives of the MH17 victims followed the verdict in one of the halls of the high-security building at Schiphol Airport. Mostly Dutch, but also 60 specially traveled Australian citizens. Most were satisfied with the judge’s verdict – including Piet Ploeg from the Dutch Foundation Air Disaster MH17. “Of course, if you’ve lost your children, you can never be done with it,” he said. “But I hope this is a chance for all those left behind to get some distance – from MH17 and all the information that is pouring down on them.”

King Willem Alexander described the verdict as a milestone. Premier Mark Rutte tweeted that this was another step towards justice and truth-telling. Those involved in the process can appeal the verdict.