$10M sought for each MH17 passenger

FAMILIES of MH17 passengers such as Fatima Dyczynski are pinning their hopes on a US lawyer who made Libya pay for the Lockerbie bombing.

The rebuilt Boeing 777 highlighted the extent of damage caused by a Russian Buk missile. Picture: Stephen Lock/i-Images

THE parents of a brilliant WA scientist killed in the MH17 atrocity are among five Australian families each seeking $10 million in a lawsuit against Russia.

Fatima Dyczynski was among 298 people killed when a surface-to-air missile struck the Malaysia Airlines’ Boeing 777 as it flew over the civil war zone in eastern Ukraine two years ago.

Fatima Dyczynski

Dr Jerzy Dyczynski and wife Angela, of Mosman Park, remain distraught from the loss of their 25-year-old only child.

They insist the case is about “justice” and not money.

“We believe justice is very important,” Dr Dyczynski said last night.

“We all carry a collective responsibility to find justice for the MH17 crime against humanity.”

Sydney law firm LHD Lawyers has filed the 3500-page claim in the European Court of Human Rights, against the Russian Federation and President Vladimir Putin.

US aviation lawyer Jerry Skinner is leading the case. He achieved similar payouts from Libya for the Lockerbie disaster in 1988.

The final Dutch Safety Board report said a Russian-made Buk missile brought down the plane, but did not say who fired it.

A joint criminal investigation by five countries, including Australia, is continuing.

“It’s very hard from the families to live with; this is a crime,” Mr Skinner said.

“The Russians don’t have any facts for blaming Ukraine. We have facts, photographs, memorandums, tonnes of stuff.”

The case differs from one being prepared on behalf of seven Australian families of MH17 victims targeting Malaysia Airlines over a failure to conduct additional risk assessments of the flight path.