Netherlands commemorates the 12th anniversary of MH17 downing
Today marks the 12th anniversary of the downing of Malaysia Airlines flight MH17, in which 298 people were killed. Surviving loved ones will commemorate the victims at the national MH17 monument in Vijfhuizen. Like every year, they will read the names of all 298 victims, followed by two minutes of silence.
Flight MH17 was en route from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur in Malaysia when it was shot down by pro-Russian separatists in eastern Ukraine on 17 July 2014. None of the 298 people on board the plane survived. The victims included 196 Dutch people.
In 2022, after years of investigation, working together with the other countries hit by the disaster, the court in The Hague convicted three individuals in absentia for their roles in the disaster: Igor Girkin, a Russian rebel leader; Sergej Doebinski, his deputy; and Leonid Chartsjenko, a Ukrainian field commander. All were sentenced to life in prison, but none have been extradited by Russia, and none have served their sentences. A fourth suspect was acquitted due to a lack of evidence.
Last year, both the European Court of Human Rights and the Council of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) ruled that Russia was responsible for the MH17 disaster. Russia appealed against the European court’s ruling.
A small commemoration will be held at the National MH17 Monument in Vijfhuizen this afternoon. Ten years after the disaster, the Netherlands shifted to holding a big commemoration every five years. The reading of the victims’ names will start at around 2:00 p.m. and can be followed live on Stichting Vliegramp MH17’s website.
There will also be smaller commemorations elsewhere in the Netherlands in cities and towns that lost many residents to the disaster.
