‘It Doesn’t Change Anything’: Mixed Emotions as Court Verdict for MH17 Handed Down

A picture of victims of the MH17 crash rests on empty chairs during a protest outside the Russian Embassy in The Hague, Netherlands, on March 8, 2020. Piroschka van de Wouw/Reuters

Families of Australian MH17 victims found some solace in the overnight conviction of three people in the downing of the flight but said their family members would never return.

A Dutch court found two Russians and one Ukrainian separatist guilty in absentia of killing 298 people, including 38 Australians, when they shot Flight 17 down in 2014.

However, none of the defendants appeared at the trial, meaning it is unlikely they will serve the life sentences handed down by the court.

Meryn O’Brien, the mother of a victim, said she felt relieved because her son would have wanted the truth out.

“I also feel sad,” she told ABC news. “Because for all of us, it doesn’t change anything.”

While the verdict provided some level of justice, O’Brien said having her family returned to her would have been “complete justice.”

Matthew Horder, whose parents were killed when the plane was downed, said having a court confirm the passengers were “deliberately murdered” was important for surviving loved ones.

“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,” he said.

Family members of victims of the MH17 crash protest outside the Russian Embassy, lining up empty chairs for each seat on the plane, in The Hague, Netherlands, on March 8, 2020. Piroschka van de Wouw/Reuters

Australia Calls on Russia to ‘Surrender’ the Convicted

Deputy Prime Minister Richard Marles said there were “mixed emotions” because while it provided some comfort for families, it looked unlikely that Russia would “hand them over.”

“I mean, it is a really important step forward that this court has found where accountability lies, that there is a conviction that has been made,” he told ABC news.

“Obviously, though, those three people were tried in absentia. They remain at large. There’s no sign that Russia is about to hand them over.

“And so, I think there remains a sense that there is unfinished business here.”

Foreign Minister Penny Wong called on Russia to surrender the convicted to face the court sentences for their “heinous crime.”

“[The verdicts] delivers confirmation that the Russian Federation have responsibility,” she told reporters.

Shadow minister for foreign affairs, Senator Simon Birmingham, said the verdict was welcome but difficult for the families of the victims.

“We hope some comfort can be found from the outcome of the trials,” he said.