8 years after the unthinkable tragedy of MH17, where the Malaysian Airlines flight from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur was shot down over eastern Ukraine by pro-Russian rebels, killing all 298 people on board, justice is now being served.
According to a report by The Guardian, 3 people have been found guilty by a Dutch court, for the mass murder.
Russian nationals Igor Girkin, Sergey Dubinskiy and Ukrainian Leonid Kharchenko, were handed sentences of life in prison after they were found guilty of shooting down the plane and the murder of everyone on board.
On top of that, they were ordered to pay “more than 16 million Euros (RM75,594,537.22)” as compensations to the victims. Though, unfortunately, the 3 of them have yet to be found and are still roaming free.
Another Russian national, Oleg Pulatov, who was the only one who appointed a lawyer who pleaded not guilty on his behalf, was acquitted of the charges due to a lack of evidence of his involvement in the firing of the missile. All 4 men were part of a pro-Russian separatist group, the Donetsk People’s Republic.
MH17 Aviation Disaster Foundation chairman, Piet Ploeg shared on behalf of the relatives of those who lost their lives, that they are very pleased that justice has been served.
“The truth has been established which is important for all relatives, but also from an international perspective”, he said. Ploeg had lost 3 loved ones in the downing of the plane.
With all that being said, we genuinely hope that the authorities manage to find the 3 who have been guilty so that they can serve their sentence.
Stay tuned for more updates.
Also read: “Ambik kau” – M’sians Buy Shells For Ukraine As Revenge For Russia Downing MH17
