A Decade Later, MH17 Victim's Father Still Awaits Russian Apology

[Social Media]

 

Quinn Schansman had big dreams of becoming the youngest-ever CEO of an American company. At 18, he had just completed his first year of an international business degree in Amsterdam, setting him on the path toward that ambitious goal. Tragically, his aspirations were cut short when Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 was downed, killing Quinn and 297 others. The plane was destroyed by a Soviet-era Buk surface-to-air missile launched from pro-Russian rebel-held territory in eastern Ukraine.

 

The conflict that led to this incident has since escalated into a full-scale war following Russia's invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. On Wednesday, Quinn’s father, Thomas Schansman, will commemorate the 10th anniversary of the tragedy by reading out the names of all the victims at a monument near Schiphol Airport, from where MH17 departed on its ill-fated journey to Kuala Lumpur on July 17, 2014. While Thomas has come to terms with the loss of his son, he struggles with Russia’s staunch denials of responsibility for the missile attack.

 

 

An international investigation concluded that the Buk missile system originated from the Russian 53rd Anti-Aircraft Missile Brigade and had been transported from a Russian military base near Kursk into Ukraine, before being returned after the attack. In 2022, a Dutch court convicted two Russians and a pro-Russian Ukrainian in absentia of murder for their roles in transporting the missile, sentencing them to life in prison. However, Russia refused to surrender them for trial, and they remain at large. Russia continues to deny any involvement. Further legal proceedings are underway at the European Court of Human Rights and the International Civil Aviation Organization Council to hold Russia accountable under international law.

 

For Thomas Schansman, a legal ruling against Russia would be significant but not sufficient. “That does not provide closure. For me, closure is the acknowledgment by Russia that they delivered the Buk, the recognition that they must also take responsibility for it,” Schansman told The Associated Press. “I want to hear apologies. The simple ‘Sorry.’”

 

 

The crash claimed the lives of citizens from 16 countries, including the Netherlands, Malaysia, Australia, Indonesia, the United Kingdom, Belgium, Germany, the Philippines, Canada, New Zealand, Vietnam, Israel, Italy, Romania, the United States, and South Africa. Australian Attorney General Mark Dreyfus, who will attend the commemoration in the Netherlands, paid tribute to the victims' families, noting that 38 of those killed "called Australia home." Dreyfus honored their bravery and perseverance, recognizing their efforts in seeking justice through successive legal proceedings. He emphasized the importance of remembering the victims and committing to holding those responsible accountable for this "despicable crime."

 

 

Thomas Schansman has reached a point where he no longer seeks justice against those directly involved in firing the missile, as it will not bring his son back. His primary desire is for Russia to admit its role in the tragedy. “The fact that for all these years — right up to today — they continue to deny and to spread disinformation, that hurts,” he said. “That is irritating and it makes you at certain times a bitter person.”

 

Former Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte, who was in office at the time of the disaster, described it as “perhaps the most drastic and emotional event of my entire premiership.” Rutte’s government coordinated a complex operation to repatriate the victims' remains to the Netherlands, a process marked by solemn convoys of hearses that transported coffins from a military airbase to a barracks for identification.

 

The 10th anniversary ceremony will take place at the national MH17 memorial, a park near Schiphol Airport featuring 298 trees — one for each victim — and sunflowers, mirroring those that grew at the crash site. Despite the passage of time, Quinn’s memory endures. His sister Nerissa recently named her first daughter Frida Quinn Schansman Pouw, ensuring that his name lives on in their family.

 

Credit: ABC News 2024-07-16

 

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[digger70]

12 hours ago, Social Media said:

” Schansman told The Associated Press. “I want to hear apologies. The simple ‘Sorry.’”

Fair enough if one can get one but not fro Russia.

Time to move on and forget about the apology one can't keep on dwelling over it .