Protesters in The Hague lined up 298 chairs to symbolize each of the victims of the shot-down passenger jet. On Monday, four men are going on trial in absentia over their alleged involvement in the 2014 disaster.
Image: DW/Maxim Drabok
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The relatives of people killed when a missile shot down Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 over eastern Ukraine in 2014 held a silent protest, comprise of 298 white chairs outside the Russian Embassy in The Hague on Sunday.
The protest was held just one day before the start of the criminal proceedings. The chairs, which were positioned in rows like an airplane, symbolized the victims aboard the airliner, all of whom were killed that day.
The families stood in silence for two minutes after arranging the chairs and signs, including one that read, "Impunity = unacceptable! Someone knows what happened ... Justice for MH17."
The plane, which was flying from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur in July 2014, was shot down by a Buk missile and fired from territory held by pro-Russia separatist rebels.
Russia has so far denied any responsibility for the disaster, and has said that the investigation into the crash, which has charged three Russians and one Ukrainian with the disaster, is prejudiced against Moscow.
Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova accused investigators of presuming Russia's guilt before the court hearing opens on Monday.
However, relatives have accused Russian authorities of seeking to hide the facts about exactly what happened.
"What we're doing here today, this is truly us making a silent statement to somebody who may have the answers," Lucas Shansman, whose nephew Quinn perished in the disaster, told AP.
The four suspects include Russians Igor Girkin, Sergey Dubinskiy and Olef Pulatov, and Ukrainian Leonid Kharchenko. None are expected to attend the start of the trial on Monday, which is set to be held near Schiphol, the Amsterdam airport from which the flight took off.
"This is an opportunity for the plain, unvarnished truth to come out in the court process," Jon O'Brien, whose son was among the victims, told AP. "The really important thing is that the truth comes out, because the truth has been in short supply over the last five and a half years," he said.
War crimes in Ukraine?
A new UN report accuses pro-Russian separatists in eastern Ukraine of possible war crimes. The authors also accuse the Ukrainian army of having done wrong there.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa
The war enters the cities
Fighting between pro-Russian separatists and the Ukrainian army has intensified around the cities of Luhansk and Donetsk. The situation for the local population keeps getting worse, the UN Human Rights Commission finds. It especially accuses the pro-Russian separatists of severe crimes.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa
In mourning for father and son
More than 1,100 people have been killed in the fighting since mid-April, according to the UN. Not just armed fighters, but also countless civilians, among them many children, have lost their lives. These people grieve for a father and his little son who died in artillery fire near Luhansk.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa
Heavy weaponry in residential areas
Civilians often get caught in the crossfire, according to the UN. Heavy weaponry is being employed in densely populated areas not just by the separatists, like here in Donetsk, but also by the Ukrainian army. The United Nations urge all sides to exercise better measures of precaution to protect civilians’ lives.
Image: Getty Images
Reign of terror by separatists
The report accuses the pro-Russian separatists of abducting, torturing and executing people. The separatists are "rough and brutal" as well as "well-equipped and organized" and often under the command of Russian nationals, according to the UN Human Rights Commission. The UN body has 39 observers on the ground and has documented more than 800 cases of abductions by separatists since mid-April.
Image: picture-alliance/AP
Fleeing the East
More than 100,000 people have had to leave their homes. Many live in emergency shelters, like here in Kharkiv, to escape the terror of the separatists and the fighting. There are also reports about Russian-speaking residents of eastern Ukraine who have fled to neighboring Russia.
Image: DW/A. Ainduchowa
Shooting down MH17: a war crime
On July 17, a Malaysia Airlines Boeing 777 crashed in eastern Ukraine. All 298 people on board were killed. The passenger jet was most probably shot down by pro-Russian separatists. That could be interpreted as a war crime, said UN Human Rights Commissioner Navi Pillay.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa
Justice in The Hague?
Those responsible could face charges before the International Criminal Court. The UN Human Rights Commissioner warns: anybody violating international law will be brought to justice. That also applies to foreign fighters involved in the conflict.
