MH17 trial moves to crucial merits phase, examining evidence

The trial in a Dutch court of three Russians and a Ukrainian accused of involvement in the downing of Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 has moved to the crucial merits phase when evidence will be discussed by lawyers and judges

SCHIPHOL, Netherlands -- Nearly seven years after Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 was shot down over eastern Ukraine, the trial in a Dutch court of three Russians and a Ukrainian accused of involvement in the downing moved Monday to the crucial merits phase, when evidence will be discussed by lawyers and judges. Families of some of the victims were present in court to watch the latest hearing in the long-running case. “It’s a very difficult day for us. You know, it’s now the first day of the prosecution,” said Evert van Zijtveld, whose daughter Frederique and son Robert-Jan were among the 298 passengers and crew killed when the Boeing 777 was shot down on July 17, 2014. The trial that has progressed through a series of preliminary hearings since opening in March 2020 will in the coming days begin examining the huge case file pieced together after a years-long international investigation.