MH17: Malaysia urged to ramp up pressure as justice eludes victims’ families a decade on

“It has been 10 years. International law or law in general shouldn’t be this slow,” Farhatul Mustamirrah Mahamad Aziz, an international law expert with Universiti Teknologi Mara, told This Week in Asia.

“How long do the families of the victims have to wait? They need to know what happened, who is responsible and to see the three perpetrators behind bars.”

However, analysts also acknowledge that the complex geopolitical factors surrounding the tragedy mean Malaysia has “little leverage” in pushing for accountability on its own.

On Monday, Malaysian Transport Minister Anthony Loke told a press conference: “In terms of international legal proceedings, Malaysia, along with several other countries whose nationals were aboard the plane during the crash, will continue to pursue this matter”. However, he did not elaborate on the specifics of Malaysia’s involvement in the ongoing legal efforts.

MH17 was shot down while travelling from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur, ferrying passengers from 17 countries that included 80 children and 15 crew.

Those killed in the tragedy include 196 Dutch citizens, 43 Malaysians, 38 Australian and 10 British nationals.

The plane was travelling at 33,000 feet when it was struck, 1,000 feet higher than the restricted airspace imposed by Ukraine’s government after several military aircraft were downed in the preceding months.

The missile’s impact caused the plane to break apart in mid-air and likely killed everyone on board before hitting the ground, investigators had said.

02:11

Russian military blamed for downing MH17 with missile

Russia has denied any role in the downing of MH17.

The Netherlands is planning to seek compensation from Russia for the cost of dealing with the aftermath of MH17 and the subsequent