MH17: victims’ relatives can help one another in their bereavement


The horror of mass, brutal murder visited on those you love will leave 298 groups of individuals connected to the victims of MH17 in a collective state of shock and bereavement. And as time passes, the relatives will find it harder to make those not afflicted understand this.

These deaths are final. There is simply nothing that one can do to mitigate them, nor is there any way that relatives could, or even less should, have done something to protect those who are gone. Despite this, some will find esoteric ways to blame themselves in some way for their tragedy, down the infinite lanes signposted “if only” and “what if”.

Apart from our personal needs, our group has enabled us to better handle lawyers, psychiatrists and, of course, politicians. Having experienced the loving concern of many Dutch people, when our case came to court in Zeist, I am hopeful that the Dutch government will understand, uphold and champion the relatives’ needs in this situation. If the perpetrators of MH17 are identified and caught, they can be brought before the international criminal court, its location a testament to Holland’s dedication to justice and to Nelson Mandela’s dictum before the Lockerbie trial: “No one country should be complainant, prosecutor and judge.”