MH17: Prosecutor in The Hague Seeks Life Sentence for Defendants

Now in The Hague, in the court complex near the Amsterdam airport Schiphol, an indictment is being announced against 4 suspects in the case of the Malaysian Boeing MH17 shot down in the skies over Ukraine. For the third day in a row, prosecutors read out the guilt documents of the four defendants. These are three citizens of Russia: former "Defense Minister" of the self-proclaimed "DPR" Igor Girkin (Strelkov), Major General Sergei Dubinsky (nicknamed Khmury), Colonel Oleg Pulatov (Gyurza), and Ukrainian citizen Leonid Kharchenko (Krot). The trial is being held in absentia in the absence of the accused. Only Pulatov is represented by a group of lawyers.

The prosecutor reading the charge, a 35-year-old woman whose name does not appear on the plaque, reaffirmed that the severity of the charge does not depend on whether the crime was due to error or deliberately given the number of victims.

According to the prosecutor's office, given the number of victims and based on precedents, for example, the verdict that was announced in Ukraine over the downed transport plane, the defendants deserve life imprisonment.

All defendants deserve the death penalty in the Netherlands - life imprisonment. They are all equally responsible for the deaths of 295 passengers and crew. Oleg Pulatov and Leonid Kharchenko organized this crime on the spot, General Dubinsky was responsible for moving the Buk installation to the territory of Ukraine, Girkin is responsible for military actions.

In addition, Pulatov and Kharchenko hid the traces of the crime. They hid the installation and, under cover of night, at 11 o'clock in the evening, secretly transported it to the territory of Russia.

The prosecutor reiterated that the defendants had undertaken all methods of disinformation to accuse others of the crime they had committed - for example, they accused the pilot of the SU plane. They later said in an interview that the plane was shot down by a Ukrainian Buk.

According to the prosecutor's office, Girkin argued that he did not recognize the decision of the civil court of another country only for the reason that the citizens of that state had died.

Dubinsky stated that he was only responsible for transferring Buk to the territory of the DPR in his own defense. Others gave orders. In addition, he has repeatedly said that Russia will not extradite its citizens.

Pulatov's situation differs from the other three defendants.

The prosecutor cites Pulatov's appeal to the court and the victims' relatives.

Pulatov expressed a desire, together with the court, to find out who is to blame for the fact that the Boeing was shot down. And he puts responsibility on the prosecution, which must find the culprit and prove their guilt.

However, this contradicts his statements. Earlier, he stated that he information about the Russian Buk is untrue. Then he stopped recognizing his own words. The court invited him to take part in the court hearings. However, Pulatov refused the invitation. The prosecutor's office believes that he should not blame the Dutch court and at the same time refuse to participate in the process in person. At the stage of the investigation, he did not take into account the situations of relatives and their desire to find out the truth.

The defendants Dubinsky and Pulatov indicated that they no longer serve in the army, so they do not understand why they are being prosecuted as defendants. There is a danger that all defendants may take part in hostilities in the future, so the punishment imposed on them must take this probability into account.

The prosecutor concluded that the penalty imposed on the accused could not be reduced. They do not admit their guilt and their responsibility to the relatives of the victims. They can take part in military conflicts in the future.

The prosecution required 30 years for each accused or a life sentence. The prosecutor noted that in the Netherlands there are all conditions for the defendants to serve their sentences, which meet all international standards.

That a passenger plane was shot down by a military installation is an unprecedented fact. This has not happened in recent history. Therefore, the accused deserve the greatest punishment to protect civil aviation from such crimes.

The refusal of the accused to participate in the trial is also indicative. They not only did not admit their guilt, but spread deliberately false information, said the representative of the prosecution.

Kharchenko, Dubinsky, Pulatov and Girkin should receive life sentences.

The Netherlands will do its utmost to ensure that the accused receive the punishment they deserve.

The President of the Court stated that he could postpone his statement until March 7, when the next meeting is scheduled, but would like to make a statement now.

The prosecution, according to the judge, provided numerous examples in support of their demand for life imprisonment. But he turned to the relatives of the victims. An especially sad fact is that not all relatives were able to identify their loved ones, and this remains a great trauma for them. They tried to reveal all the circumstances and helped the process.

We will listen to all parties and continue our consideration on March 7, 2022. The judge called on Pulatov's lawyers to contribute to the consideration of the case.

Relatives' representatives refused to speak at this meeting. They will perform in March. The court will have 4 weeks to consider and hear the other parties.

Pulatov’s lawyers are scheduled to respond in 3 days.

The verdict is scheduled to be announced in December 2022.

Two hours later, the court left the courtroom.