Saudi Press

Saudi Arabia and the world
Friday, Aug 22, 2025

Dutch court jails 3 for life, acquits one in MH17 case

Dutch court jails 3 for life, acquits one in MH17 case

All 298 passengers on board were killed, among them 196 Dutch citizens.
A Dutch court on Thursday found three men guilty of the murder of 298 people on board flight MH17, which was shot down by a missile as it flew over Ukraine in 2014.

Russian nationals Igor Girkin, Sergey Dubinskiy and Ukrainian national Leonid Kharchenko were found guilty and given life sentences. The court also ordered them to pay more than €16 million in compensation to the victims.

A fourth suspect, Russian Oleg Pulatov, was acquitted as “no evidence” of his involvement was found.

Malaysia Airlines flight 17 was travelling from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur on July 17, 2014 when it was hit by a surface-to-air missile over eastern Ukraine, at a time of conflict between pro-Russia rebels and Ukrainian forces in the region. All 298 passengers on board were killed, among them 196 Dutch citizens.

The judge also ruled that the missile came from the separatist Donetsk People’s Republic in eastern Ukraine, saying “the court is of the opinion that MH17 was killed by firing a Buk missile from an agricultural field near Pervomaiskyi.” This confirms the earlier conclusions of a Dutch-led international investigation.

Russian authorities have repeatedly denied any involvement in the attack.

However, while the court said the missile was fired deliberately, it ruled it was not intended to hit a passenger plane.

International investigators announced charges against the three Russians and one Ukrainian in June 2019, with the first hearing taking place in March 2020 in the Netherlands.

In 2020, the Netherlands took Russia to the European Court of Human Rights over the MH17 shooting.

None of the defendants ever appeared in court. Prosecutors had sought life sentences for all four. Their legal teams have two weeks to file an appeal.

Hundreds of family members of the victims traveled to the court, located at a high-security courtroom at Schiphol Airport, to hear the verdict.

Peter Neenan, a partner at U.K. law firm Stewarts’ aviation team, which represented around 30 families of passengers, called the verdict “an important step in the families of the victims’ fight for justice, truth and accountability.”

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky also welcomed the court’s ruling, saying “holding to account masterminds is crucial too, as the feeling of impunity leads to new crimes.”
Newsletter

Related Articles

Saudi Press
0:00
0:00
Close
Dogfights in the Skies: Airbus on Track to Overtake Boeing and Claim Aviation Supremacy
Tim Cook Promises an AI Revolution at Apple: "One of the Most Significant Technologies of Our Generation"
Are AI Data Centres the Infrastructure of the Future or the Next Crisis?
Miles Worth Billions: How Airlines Generate Huge Profits
Zelenskyy Returns to White House Flanked by European Allies as Trump Pressures Land-Swap Deal with Putin
Beijing is moving into gold and other assets, diversifying away from the dollar
Cristiano Ronaldo Makes Surprise Stop at New Hong Kong Museum
Zelenskyy to Visit Washington after Trump–Putin Summit Yields No Agreement
High-Stakes Trump-Putin Summit on Ukraine Underway in Alaska
Iranian Protection Offers Chinese Vehicle Shipments a Cost Advantage over Japanese and Korean Makers
Saudi Arabia accelerates renewables to curb domestic oil use
Cristiano Ronaldo and Georgina Rodríguez announce engagement
Asia-Pacific dominates world’s busiest flight routes, with South Korea’s Jeju–Seoul corridor leading global rankings
Private Welsh island with 19th-century fort listed for sale at over £3 million
Sam Altman challenges Elon Musk with plans for Neuralink rival
Australia to Recognize the State of Palestine at UN Assembly
The Collapse of the Programmer Dream: AI Experts Now the Real High-Earners
Armenia and Azerbaijan to Sign US-Brokered Framework Agreement for Nakhchivan Corridor
British Labour Government Utilizes Counter-Terrorism Tools for Social Media Monitoring Against Legitimate Critics
WhatsApp Deletes 6.8 Million Scam Accounts Amid Rising Global Fraud
Nine people have been hospitalized and dozens of salmonella cases have been reported after an outbreak of infections linked to certain brands of pistachios and pistachio-containing products, according to the Public Health Agency of Canada
Texas Residents Face Water Restrictions While AI Data Centers Consume Millions of Gallons
Tariffs, AI, and the Shifting U.S. Macro Landscape: Navigating a New Economic Regime
India Rejects U.S. Tariff Threat, Defends Russian Oil Purchases
United States Establishes Strategic Bitcoin Reserve and Digital Asset Stockpile
Thousands of Private ChatGPT Conversations Accidentally Indexed by Google
China Tightens Mineral Controls, Curtailing Critical Inputs for Western Defence Contractors
OpenAI’s Bold Bet: Teaching AI to Think, Not Just Chat
BP’s Largest Oil and Gas Find in 25 Years Uncovered Offshore Brazil
JPMorgan and Coinbase Unveil Partnership to Let Chase Cardholders Buy Crypto Directly
British Tourist Dies Following Hair Transplant in Turkey, Police Investigate
WhatsApp Users Targeted in New Scam Involving Account Takeovers
Trump Deploys Nuclear Submarines After Threats from Former Russian President Medvedev
Germany’s Economic Breakdown and the Return of Militarization: From Industrial Collapse to a New Offensive Strategy
IMF Upgrades Global Growth Forecast as Weaker Dollar Supports Outlook
Politics is a good business: Barack Obama’s Reported Net Worth Growth, 1990–2025
"Crazy Thing": OpenAI's Sam Altman Warns Of AI Voice Fraud Crisis In Banking
Japanese Prime Minister Vows to Stay After Coalition Loses Upper House Majority
President Trump Diagnosed with Chronic Venous Insufficiency After Leg Swelling
Man Dies After Being Pulled Into MRI Machine Due to Metal Chain in New York Clinic
FIFA Pressured to Rethink World Cup Calendar Due to Climate Change
"Can You Hit Moscow?" Trump Asked Zelensky To Make Putin "Feel The Pain"
Nvidia Becomes World’s First Four‑Trillion‑Dollar Company Amid AI Boom
Iranian President Reportedly Injured During Israeli Strike on Secret Facility
Kurdistan Workers Party Takes Symbolic Step Towards Peace in Northern Iraq
BRICS Expands Membership with Indonesia and Ten New Partner Countries
Elon Musk Founds a Party Following a Poll on X: "You Wanted It – You Got It!"
AI Raises Alarms Over Long-Term Job Security
Saudi Arabia Maintains Ties with Iran Despite Israel Conflict
Russia Formally Recognizes Taliban Government in Afghanistan
×