Dutch refused Moscow request to try MH17 Russian suspects there - minister

FILE PHOTO: Relatives attend a commemoration ceremony in memory of the victims of the Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 plane crash on the fifth anniversary of the accident, in Vijfhuizen, Netherlands June 17, 2019. Frank Van Beek/Pool via REUTERS

THE HAGUE (Reuters) - The Netherlands refused a request by Moscow to consider allowing Russia to prosecute three Russian nationals identified as suspects in the 2014 downing of Malaysia Airlines flight MH17, the Dutch justice minister revealed on Wednesday.

The first court hearing in the Dutch case against the three Russian suspects and one Ukrainian is scheduled for March 9. If the case eventually goes to trial, the four may be tried in absentia under Dutch law.