Wed 19 June 2019:
For the first time since Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 was shot down in July 2014, prosecutors have announced charges against suspects in the case. Three Russians and a Ukrainian have been charged with bringing a missile into the area in eastern Ukraine and with murdering 298 passengers and crew. Passenger flight MH17 was en route from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur when it was shot down over conflict-hit Ukraine. A court case will begin in the Netherlands on 9 March 2020.
International arrest warrants have been issued for the four men. The Dutch-led joint investigation team (JIT) named the men as Igor Girkin, Sergei Dubinsky and Oleg Pulatov from Russia, as well as Ukrainian Leonid Kharchenko. The JIT, which seeks to try the suspects under Dutch law, previously said it had a “long list” of persons of interest and appealed again for witnesses as the investigation continues.
Speaking ahead of Wednesday’s announcement, Silene Fredriksz, who lost her son Bryce, said that in the five years since, some relatives had died not knowing the truth. “We all get older… I hope that I will know the truth before I close my eyes.”
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