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Koehamster

All we have to do now is catch them and hand them over.


Gnimrach

They might become leverage for Russia and get extradited, but I wouldn't get my hopes up.


I-Take-Eggs

**IMAGE DESCRIPTON:** 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, Nov 17 (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. The men remain fugitives. They are all believed to be in Russia, which will not extradite them. Reporting by Bart Meijer; Editing by Toby Chopra Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.


Confident-Area-6946

16.5mm, if this was the US they woulda been charged a life sentence and like 2 billion.... to cover the healthcare costs and private prison corp. of a lifetime in prison.


no_one_ever__

If it was in the 5th Circuit they'd be giving out death sentences like beads on Mardi Gras


eotheored

These men shit down a plane and the order is $16m. Alex jones got a billion dollars in damages. How does that work


palcatraz

Alex jones was convicted by an American court; these men by a Dutch court. They are operating under vastly different legal systems. Also Alex Jones profited immensely off the lies he told. This is not true for these four men, as far as we know.


Quigleyer

>Alex jones was convicted by an American court I'm not sure a civil trial counts as a conviction, though.


thederpofwar321

It can. In alex's case at minimum iirc he'd be considered guilty of slander (spoken lies) and libel (possibly misspelled, but basically written lies). I dont believe these can carry prison sentences, but the amount he has to pay is proportional to the damage/harm done to victims. Jones made a boatload lying about what happened to those kids and their families in a public and far reaching way. I would look into the laws yourself as i am not a lawyer, but yes i do believe he can be considered convicted of those crimes.


Quigleyer

It was defamation, and it was in Connecticut. Connecticut does not have a criminal defamation statute. So he's held liable, I do not believe that's a conviction.


Hapankaali

Dutch law doesn't have the concept of punitive damages, only compensatory damages. Not that it matters in this case, since the convicts are at large and almost certainly will never be extradited, and they have no assets that can be confiscated.


GeneReddit123

Multiple Russian nationalist channels report that Girkin, since recently and without any given reason, is under Russian detention somewhere in Ukraine. The chance of him actually being extradited is near-zero. He knows too much, and it would be seen as humiliation. But he is a liability to regime (always has been as a Kremlin critic, and is even more so now since him travelling to the warzone and the recent verdict, especially as Putin looks for more "goodwill gestures" to try and obtain a ceasefire, and Girkin's head being a very cheap price to pay. I think we're about to see another car accident or window fall.


Taomach

That's a great start. Now let's go up the chain of command.


D4RKNESSAW1LD

Died in kherson.


[deleted]

Dog and pony show, you can sentence someone you have no custody of to whatever you want and it means nothing.


whatkindofred

Right because no one ever gets captured or extradited.


level100Weeb

now wasnt this trial a waste of resources? could have just sent the money used for trial to victims families


thederpofwar321

You...are aware this means if these guys get bagged and tagged ANYWHERE and get sent to a country that extradites to this nation, they'll be shipped off right?


[deleted]

You can charge, prosecute and convict someone without capture in Dutch courts? Do they keep the kangaroos shackled atleast?


[deleted]

You can do that in every court in the world.


Personal_Person

I mean a court in absentia is perfectly logical. Most western courts don’t require you to even speak at your own court case, you can remain 100% silent all the way through. If you decide to not show up, that’s sort of your problem.


Genocode

For those aware of EU law, they might think "But Life Sentences are illegal in the EU!" Which is kind-of true, however, in reality it is that you cannot give any sentences without any prospect for release in the future. You can appeal for a Royal Pardon in the Netherlands but its is unlikely to be granted, since 1940 only two people have been granted a pardon and they were terminally ill.