epa08278035 Relatives of victims of the Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 crash hold a silent protest in front of the Russian embassy in The Hague, The Netherlands, 08 March 2020. The group set 298 empty seats in front of the embassy. The Malaysia Airlines' Boeing 777 plane flight MH17, en route from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur, was shot down over eastern Ukraine in July 2014. All 298 passengers were killed in the crash, including 196 Dutchmen. The District Court of The Hague is set to hold its hearings for the international criminal trial on the downing of Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 starting on 09 March 2020. EPA-EFE/ROBIN VAN LONKHUIJSEN 
Pre-trial hearings in the case against three Russians and one Ukrainian began in Amsterdam last week. Prosecutors allege that the defendants helped to arrange the Russian missile system used to shoot down the civilian aircraft, killing all onboard. Of the 298 victims, most were Dutch.
The next hearing on March 23 will be closed to press and relatives of the victims, and the number of prosecutors and lawyers allowed into the court room will also be limited, the court said.
Thereafter the case is scheduled to continue in June.
MH17 was flying from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur on July 17, 2014, when it was shot down by a missile fired from territory held by pro-Moscow rebels amid fighting in eastern Ukraine, killing all 298 aboard. Russia has denied any involvement. (Reporting by Bart Meijer Editing by Raissa Kasolowsky)