In the Netherlands, the next block of court hearings in the MH17 case begins, which will be devoted to considering the issue of possible compensation for the relatives of the victims, as well as the state of the additional investigation, as requested by the defense of one of the four accused.
Presiding judge Hendrik Steenhuis announced such an agenda for these hearings on July 3, closing the hearing that took place at the Schiphol court complex where the hearings are taking place. The trial is taking place in the absence of the following accused persons: three Russian citizens and one Ukrainian – Igor Girkin (Strelkov), Sergei Dubinsky, Oleg Pulatov and Leonid Kharchenko.
Steenhuis said that the court intends to use the block of hearings, starting from August 31, to discuss the position of the family’s lawyers, the prosecutor’s office and the defense and make a decision, if necessary, so that the family’s lawyers could submit a request for compensation if they wish.
In addition, he said, the court will also discuss the progress made by the defense of one of the accused, Oleg Pulatov, regarding additional requests for additional investigation.
The judge also announced that subpoenas for all four of the accused could be sent to hearings already scheduled for 2021: April 15, June 7, Sept. 6, and Nov. 1.
