‘A childless father’: MH-17 families speak in court of their deep trauma

Ria van der Steen, who lost her father and stepmother in the MH17 crash, arrives to give testimony in court (AP Photo/Peter Dejong)

Since her father and stepmother died in the 2014 downing of Malaysia Airlines flight MH-17, Ria van der Steen has been dealing with feelings of hate, revenge, anger and fear.

She is not alone. Seven years later, Sander Essers still feels guilty about the death of his brother. And for Peter van der Meer, Father’s Day has become the one of the most horrible days of the year, following the loss of his three daughters aged 12, 10 and 7 in the crash.