- The relatives of those killed in the 2014 MH17 flight crash said that they could not really say goodbye to their loved ones until the responsible person faced the consequences.
- Investigators said that a Russian-made missile launched from eastern Ukraine shot down the plane.
- Russia denies all participation.
Flight MH17 was shot down over Ukraine in 2014, causing trauma to 298 people. The family demanded justice from Russia on Monday because they testified in the Dutch trial of four suspects.
People who lost their children, parents and siblings in the Malaysia Airlines passenger plane crash said they could not really say goodbye to their relatives until the responsible person was brought back.
International investigators claimed that a Russian-made missile fired from eastern Ukraine held by pro-Moscow rebels shot down the Boeing 777, but Russia denied any involvement in this matter.
Rhea Vanderstein, who lost her father Jan and stepmother Nell, said she quoted the Russian writer Alexander Solzhenitsyn: “They are lying, we know they are lying, they know we know they are lying. “
“I am full of feelings of revenge, hatred, anger and fear,” said Van derstein, the first to testify in court.
I know they are dead and I will not see them again, but I cannot end this farewell process, unless of course those responsible for their deaths are found guilty of what they did.
Van der Steen told the court of recurring nightmares, such as walking through the ruins to find her father after the crash.
“When I finally found him, I had to tell him that he was dead, and then I woke up crying,” she said.
Read | The MH17 murder trial started with a call for justice
The parents of Australian Vanessa Rizk, Albert and Maree, are returning from a European holiday on this doomed plane. She said the perpetrators “should be heinous for them Be punished for their actions”.
“How would they feel if the perpetrators were their relatives? (President Vladimir) How will Putin and his corrupt Russian government answer this question,” she said via a live broadcast from Australia.
Russian nationals Oleg Platov, Igor Gilkin and Sergey Dubinsky and Ukrainian citizen Leonid Kharchenko were tried in absentia for murder. Only Platov has legal representation.
Approximately 90 relatives, including 196 victims of the Dutch crash and relatives from Australia and Malaysia, are expected to speak to the court in the coming days.
The tearful Peter van der Meer told the judge that after his three young daughters, 12-year-old Sophie, 10-year-old Fleur, and 7-year-old Bent, as well as his ex-wife Ingrid, had died. “Life and future.”
He said:
I hope the perpetrators will have a sense of urgency after listening to the story I told today, so that they can look in the mirror and not have to lie to their children and grandchildren and tell them what they did on July 17, 2014.
Van der Meer said that after the death of his daughter, he stopped celebrating the St. Nicholas holiday in the Netherlands. “This is a children’s holiday. I don’t want to celebrate anymore. I have no children,” he said.
Another witness, Robbert van Heijningen, lost his brother Eric, his sister-in-law Tina and their 17-year-old son Zeger. He said that the perpetrators knew that “they were shooting one from the air. A civil airliner that is vulnerable to attack is like a clay pigeon, without a chance.”
Sander Essers’ brother Peter, his sister-in-law Jolette Eusink and their two children Emma (20) and Valentijn (17) were killed in the crash. He said his brother called him 20 minutes before the flight. , “With an ominous premonition.”
“I blame myself for not taking his hunch seriously. So I can’t sleep through the night,” Essex said.
Chief Justice Hendrik Steenhuis set September 22, 2022 as a possible date for the trial judgment, but gave alternative dates for November and December of that year.
