Has justice been served in the MH17 trial?

It has been eight years since 298 people died when Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 was shot down over eastern Ukraine.

A court in the Netherlands has convicted two Russian intelligence officers and a Ukrainian, pro-Russian separatist leader of murder in absentia.

They’ve been sentenced to life in prison and ordered to pay $16m in compensation.

Judges found the missile that shot down the jet was Russian-made, came from Russia and was launched by Russian-controlled rebels.

However, none of the men appeared in court, and it’s unclear whether they’ll ever serve their sentences.

So has justice been served? And could the case set a precedent for legal action over Russia’s invasion of Ukraine?

Presenter: Folly Bah Thibault

Guests:

Thomas Schansman – Parent of a passenger killed on flight MH17

Marieke de Hoon – Assistant Professor of international criminal law at the University of Amsterdam

Samuel Ramani – Associate Fellow at the Royal United Services Institute