Dutch court hands life sentences to men convicted of MH17 downing

Judges sit in the courtroom as the Dutch court announces its ruling in the MH17 trial of three Russians and a Ukrainian in the Schiphol Judicial Complex, Badhoevedorp, Netherlands, November 17, 2022. REUTERS/Piroschka van de Wouw

AMSTERDAM (Reuters) - A Dutch court on Thursday handed down life long jail sentences to three suspects it convicted of murder for their role in shooting down Malaysia Airlines passenger flight MH17 over Ukraine in 2014.

The convicted men, two Russian former intelligence officers and a Ukrainian separatist leader, were also ordered to pay at least 16 million euros ($16.5 million) in compensation to relatives of the victims.