There is grief, anger and despair among the relatives, Dreyfus said.
His Majesty the King and Prime Minister Schoof attended the commemoration of the air disaster with flight MH17 at the National Monument in Vijfhuizen on Wednesday afternoon, July 17. This year marks the 10th anniversary of the disaster. The Prime Minister gave a speech. The commemoration was attended by approximately 1300 relatives of the victims, various Dutch government officials and representatives from Malaysia, Australia, the United Kingdom, Belgium and Ukraine, among others.
During the ceremony, the names of all 298 victims were read out and a two-minute silence was held in their memory. This year, special attention was also paid to the stories of some relatives, who shared the memory of their loved ones.
In the run-up to the commemoration, it was decided at Schiphol to temporarily close the Polderbaan, which is close to the monument. This measure was taken to ensure that the ceremony could take place in peace. The disaster was also reflected on at the municipal level. In cities such as Amstelveen, the flag flew at half-mast as a tribute to the victims. In Amstelveen, sunflowers were distributed to visitors at the Zorgvlied memorial park as a symbol of hope and memory.
According to Prime Minister Dick Schoof, the battle for a 'just' handling of the attack on passenger plane MH17 requires a lot of patience. 'But we have it. That is my promise to you.'
On July 14, 38 people of Australian nationality were also on board the ill-fated plane. Their deaths were specially commemorated by Australian Solicitor General Mark Dreyfus. He also emphasized the courage of the relatives, whose testimonies play a crucial role in the ongoing legal proceedings.

The aftermath of the disaster is marked by deep grief, anger and despair among the relatives, Dreyfus said. “There is despair now that 10 years have passed without any recognition from the Russian Federation,” he said. However, despite this lack of recognition, significant legal action is being taken, he added.
Since the tragedy on July 17, 2014, private commemorations have been organized annually in the Netherlands for the surviving relatives. In 2017, the National Monument was unveiled in Park Vijfhuizen, a location adjacent to Schiphol, the departure point of the disastrous flight.
The park has become a serene place for remembrance, with a tree planted for each victim. Every year sunflowers are sown and bloom around the commemoration date. These sunflowers are a symbolic reference to the debris of the plane that crashed in the Ukrainian sunflower fields.
In five years, another public commemoration will take place, where people will continue to honor the victims and offer support to the relatives.