A Dutch court ruled that the Russian-made surface-to-air missile was fired by a group of Russian separatists who were fighting in the Donetsk People’s Republic.
298 people including 38 Australians were killed when the missile hit MH17 over eastern Ukraine, which was on it’s way to Kuala Lumpur from Amsterdam.
It was ruled the act to fire the missile was deliberate, even though the original intention was to shoot down a military aircraft.
Igor Girkin, Sergei Dubinsky and Leonid Kharchenko have been sentenced to life in jail in absentia while a fourth person, Russian Oleg Pulatov was acquitted.
It’s believed that Moscow is harbouring the men and will not turn them over, meaning they will most likely not serve their life sentence or pay $28.8 million in compensation to the families.
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Foreign Minister Penny Wong has urged Russia to hand over the wanted men.
“The delivery of these verdicts is an important step in efforts to hold those responsible to account,” she said in a press conference on Friday.
“It delivers the answers families have sought. It delivers confirmation that the Russian Federation have responsibility.”
Judge presiding over the case Hendrik Steenhuis remarked during his verdict about the impact this has had on the families of the 298 people who lost their lives.
“A piece of bone from a hand. A piece of leg or a foot. In two cases, no parts of a loved one returned,” he said.
Matthew Horder, son of Howard and Susan who were killed in the MH17 attack told the ABC that the courts decision delivers some much-needed answers.
“The actions we’ve come to learn about, the BUK missile that downed Mum and Dad’s plane, is true,” he said.
“A court at a high level confirmed that this is what happened and those people were deliberately murdered by those three defendants.
“It’s not lost on us that the three that were found guilty are unlikely to see time behind bars, but we’ve known that since the beginning.”
Meryn and Jon O’brien who lost their 25-year-old son Jack said the decision doesn’t ease their grief.
“For all of us, it doesn’t change anything,” she told the ABC.
“It’s a measure of justice, but it would be complete justice if our family members were restored to us.”
Meryn and Jon O'Brien heard the words no parent should ever hear after their son Jack boarded the MH17 flight on his journey home to Australia.
Eight years on, a verdict in the murder trial is due. Read more: https://t.co/zcXF5YBN9o pic.twitter.com/xqcT88anih
— SBS News (@SBSNews) November 17, 2022
