Empty chairs for MH17 victims outside Russia's Hague Embassy

Rows of white chairs were placed in front of Russia’s embassy in The Hague on Sunday in a quiet protest by families of those who were shot down with Malaysia Airlines Flight 17, on the eve of the trial - in absentia - of four men accused of murder for their involvement. “This is for me a very beautiful symbol for 298 people who perished. They are gone. My brother never returned,” said Piet Ploeg, whose older brother Alex died in the crash. “The idea of the action is to make perfectly clear to the Russian state that they have to cooperate with the investigation”. Those present observed two minutes of silence. White roses were placed on some of the chairs, and placards stood in the field. One read “The truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth”, and was accompanied by a single white rose. “For us it’s very important that the trial starts, that all the evidence will be presented, and that, in the end, an independent court will reach its verdict. That the world will know what happened, why it happened, and who was responsible. What was the role of Russia,” said Ploeg. The empty chairs, one for each victim, also symbolized the four suspects’ absence from the court. <br/>