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24 AWEMainta .com Diamars, 7 September 2021

INTERN A TION AL

Angry families demand justice from Russia at

MH17 crash trial

Relatives of the passengers and crew killed in the shooting down of flight MH17

testify in Dutch court for first time

The traumatised families of 298 people killed in the
shooting down of flight MH17 over Ukraine in 2014

have demanded justice from Russia as they testified
for the first time in the Dutch trial of four suspects.

Relatives of the passengers and crew killed on July

17, 2014, when a surface-to-air Buk missile that
originated from a Russian base blew the Boeing 777
heading from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur out of
the sky above conflict-torn eastern Ukraine, said on

Monday they could not truly say goodbye to their
loved ones until those responsible had been brought
to justice.

Under Dutch law, the relatives are allowed to make a
victim impact statement to the court, without being ‘I wake up crying’ ...
asked questions. About 90 people plan to do so over Ria van der Steen, who lost her father Jan and
the next three weeks, some speaking via live video stepmother Nell, said she was quoting from the

links from other countries. Russian writer Alexander Solzhenitsyn: “They are
lying, we know they’re lying and they know that we
“I think, probably next to the verdict, it is one of the know that they’re lying.”
most important days for the family members because

they can speak to the court, but through speaking “I am full of feelings of revenge, hate, anger and
to the court, they speak to the suspects and also to fear,” said van der Steen, who was the first to testify.
the responsible people wherever they are hiding,” “I know they are dead and I will not see them
said Peter Langstraat, a lawyer representing victims’ again, but I can’t put an end to this process of

relatives. “So this is a form of communication with saying goodbye, certainly not until those who are
the people who are responsible for this disaster.” responsible for their deaths are found to be guilty

for what they have done.”
International investigators said a Russian-made

missile fired from eastern Ukraine held by pro- Van der Steen told the court of recurring nightmares,
Moscow rebels brought down the Boeing 777, but like walking through the debris after the crash to
Russia has denied all involvement. search for her father.

@ThomsonReuters @CBCNEWS @USNEWS

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