<p>THE HAGUE, Netherlands — A lawyer for relatives of people killed in the 2014 downing of Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 over eastern Ukraine told a court hearing Thursday that 290 relatives and partners of the victims have filed compensation claims for “emotional distress" against the four suspects charged in the downing.</p>
<p>Lawyer Arlette Schijns was speaking at a preliminary hearing in the long-running legal proceedings against three Russians and a Ukrainian charged with involvement in shooting down the Amsterdam-to-Kuala Lumpur flight on July 17, 2014. All 298 people on board the Boeing 777 were killed.</p>
<p>None of the suspects have appeared in court and the case is proceeding in their absence.</p>
<p>“No compensation can offset the losses suffered by relatives. That said, compensation can provide a feeling of recognition when it comes to moral damage and can also offer a certain feeling of justice,” Schijns told judges.</p>
<p>She said around 90 relatives want to make victim impact statements during the trial, which is expected to begin hearings on the substance of the charges in June.</p>
<p>After a painstaking international investigation spanning years, prosecutors charged four suspects — Russians Igor Girkin, Sergey Dubinskiy and Oleg Pulatov as well as Ukrainian Leonid Kharchenko — with multiple counts of murder for their alleged involvement in shooting down the flight. </p>
<p>Prosecutors say the plane was shattered in mid-air when it was hit by a Buk missile system trucked into Ukraine from a Russian military base. Russia denies any involvement in the downing.</p>
<p>Schijns said the amount of compensation per relative ranged from 40,000-50,000 euros ($48,000-60,000) depending on the relatives’ relationship to the victim.</p>
<p>She said under civil law, many relatives are unable to claim compensation, such as siblings who did not live with a victim at the time flight MH-17 was shot down. </p>
