Dutch and international investigators will soon make a final attempt to identify the last two victims of the Malaysian passenger plane MH17, which was shot down in 2014. These investigators come from the Netherlands Forensic Institute (NFI) and the International Commission on Missing Persons (ICMP).
In the plane crash over eastern Ukraine, 298 people lost their lives. So far, no DNA has been found from a 16-year-old boy and a 58-year-old man; they have not yet been identified. Their identities have not been disclosed.
The investigators still have bone fragments from the crash site that at the time yielded no DNA, but newer techniques may allow this now. To this end, the Dutch institute NFI will collaborate with the international ICMP, which has developed a special technique for retesting the DNA material.
Next Monday, the first session in the MH17 trial against three Russians and one Ukrainian will begin in the heavily secured court at Schiphol Airport. Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 was shot down on July 17, 2014, by a BUK missile over Ukraine. The investigators and prosecutors of the international Joint Investigation Team (JIT) determined that the BUK missile originated from the Russian military.
According to the Dutch Public Prosecution Service, the four suspects cooperated in transporting the missile launcher from a Russian barracks near Kursk to the then-frontline in eastern Ukraine. The Public Prosecution Service will indict them for murder of the 298 people on board the aircraft, including 196 Dutch nationals.
It will only become clear during the trial what evidence the JIT has collected against them. Also, it will only then be revealed which witnesses will be called. It is already known that thirteen witnesses in the MH17 trial will remain anonymous for safety reasons. Presumably, these are Ukrainian or Russian witnesses who have given statements to Dutch investigators. According to the prosecution, there are "considerable risks for the witnesses."
They have the right to protection because they may feel threatened by their testimonies and because their health and safety could be at risk. Anonymous witnesses are designated with code X and a series of numbers preceded by a V. These numbers do not indicate the number of witnesses. Nine of the thirteen anonymous witnesses were heard in 2019, three in 2018, and one in 2016.
For one witness, the request for anonymity was reportedly denied. According to the examining magistrate, this person could feel unsafe because of his testimony, but guaranteeing his anonymity would be practically impossible. It is still unclear whether this witness will be summoned to the trial.
People showing symptoms of coronavirus who have recently traveled to areas where the disease has spread are not permitted to participate in hearings in the MH17 trial. More than 400 journalists from dozens of countries will attend the trial. Due to the outbreak of the COVID-19 coronavirus, health authorities advise people who have been in risk areas and who exhibit flu symptoms or fever to stay home.