Court convicts three over downing of Malaysia Airlines flight MH17

A Dutch court has convicted two Russians and a Ukrainian separatist of the murders of 298 people - including Newcastle fans John Alder and Liam Sweeney - who died in the 2014 downing of Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 over Ukraine.

Presiding Judge Hendrik Steenhuis said evidence presented by prosecutors at a trial that lasted more than two years proved that the Boeing 777 flying from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur was brought down by a Buk missile fired by pro-Moscow Ukrainian fighters on July 17 2014.

One Russian was acquitted because of a lack of evidence.

The three who were convicted were sentenced to life imprisonment.

Against the geopolitical upheaval caused by Russia's invasion of Ukraine, the court also held that Moscow had overall control of the separatist Donetsk People's Republic in eastern Ukraine, from where it said the attack was launched.

None of the defendants appeared for the trial that began in March 2020 and if they are convicted, it is unlikely they will serve any sentence any time soon.

The prosecution had sought life sentences for all four. Prosecutors and the suspects have two weeks to file an appeal.

Judge Steenhuis opened Thursday's hearing and said "the court takes the view that the MH17 was brought down by a Buk missile" launched from an agricultural field in eastern Ukraine.

"The truth on the table - that is the most important thing," said Anton Kotte, who lost his son, daughter-in-law and six-year-old grandson when MH17 was shot down. He said the hearing was a "D-Day" for relatives.

Robbert van Heijningen, whose brother, sister-in-law and nephew were killed, called the downing "an act of barbarism" that he could never put behind him, regardless of the verdict.

"I call it a stone in my heart, and stones... don't disappear," he said.

The Hague District Court sat at a high-security courtroom at Schiphol Airport.

Hundreds of family members of people killed had travelled to the court to hear the verdict, bringing them back to the airport their loved ones left on the fateful day MH17 was shot down.

"What matters to me is that the truth is revealed"

Dutch prosecutors said the missile launcher came from the 53rd Anti-Aircraft Missile Brigade, a unit of the Russian armed forces based in the Russian city of Kursk and was driven back there after MH17 was shot down.

The suspects are not accused of firing the missile but of working together to get it to the field where it was fired. They are accused of bringing down the plane and the murder of all those on board.

The most senior defendant convicted is Igor Girkin, a 51-year-old former colonel in Russia's Federal Security Service, or FSB.

At the time of the downing, he was defence minister and commander of the armed forces of the self-proclaimed Donetsk People's Republic - the region where the plane was shot down.

Girkin is reportedly involved in Russia's war on Ukraine.

Also convicted were Girkin's subordinates, Sergey Dubinskiy and Leonid Kharchenko, a Ukrainian who prosecutors say was commander of a pro-Russia rebel combat unit who took orders directly from Dubinskiy.

Oleg Pulatov was acquitted and defence lawyers accused prosecutors of "tunnel vision" in basing their case on the findings of an international investigation into the downing while ignoring other possible causes.

In a video recording played in court, Mr Pulatov insisted he was innocent and told judges: "What matters to me is that the truth is revealed. It's important for me that my country is not blamed for this tragedy."

"Important step in securing justice"

Foreign Secretary James Cleverly said, after the conclusion of the Flight MH17 trial, in which three individuals were found guilty of murder:

"Today's guilty verdicts, convicting three individuals of murder in relation to the downing of MH17, are an important step in securing justice for the families of the victims.

"Two hundred and ninety eight lives, including those of 10 British nationals, were tragically lost on July 17 2014. Thousands more have been devastated in the years since, as family and friends continue to grieve for their loved ones.

"The downing of MH17 was a shocking violation of international norms which keep our societies safe. It serves as a stark reminder of the human cost of Russia's actions in Ukraine over many years.

"My thoughts remain with the families of all those killed in this heinous attack, including people from the Netherlands, Malaysia, Australia, Indonesia, Belgium, Germany, the Philippines, New Zealand and Canada."

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