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Iran Criticized for “Sham” Trials over Downed Airliner

April 18, 2023
3 min read
Ukraine International Airlines flight PS752 was shot down over Tehran on January 8, 2020, while en route to Kyiv, killing all 176 people on board. Most of the victims were Iranians and Canadians
Ukraine International Airlines flight PS752 was shot down over Tehran on January 8, 2020, while en route to Kyiv, killing all 176 people on board. Most of the victims were Iranians and Canadians

Five countries affected by the downing of a Ukrainian airliner by Iranian forces more than two years ago have joined the families of victims in criticizing the verdicts issued by an Iranian court against those allegedly responsible for the tragedy.

“The sham trials that took place in Tehran must not distract the world from Iran’s failure to meet its international obligations and take responsibility for its actions,” Afghanistan, Canada, Sweden, Ukraine and the United Kingdom said in a joint statement on April 18.

The previous day, the Iranian judiciary announced that the military court in Tehran handed down prison sentences against 10 current and former members of the armed forces on charges of involvement in the downing of flight PS752 in January 2021. A commander was sentenced to 10 years in prison while nine others received terms of one to three years.

“Neither the trials nor the verdicts announced this week brings truth or justice to the families of the victims, as the entire process  – starting with Iran’s biased investigation into the downing – lacked the necessary impartiality and transparency,” the five countries forming the International Coordination and Response Group for the victims of Flight PS752 said in their joint statement.

Meanwhile, Mahmoud Alizadeh Tabatabai, a lawyer representing the families of victims, said that the verdict “did not meet our expectations, and we will be lodging an objection once it is officially announced.”

In a statement, an association representing the families of those killed called the verdict a "show trial" and said that it “has never recognized the Islamic Regime’s court as a legitimate tribunal and will never do.”

“With its lack of impartiality and independence, the rulings of this court are accordingly meaningless and unacceptable,” the Association of Families of Flight PS752 Victims added.

In an interview broadcast on state TV, a relative of one of the victims said that the families still have "15, 16 questions" unanswered, including why high-ranking officials and commanders were not put on trial.

Ukraine International Airlines flight PS752 was shot down over Tehran on January 8, 2020, while en route to Kyiv, killing all 176 people on board. Most of the victims were Iranians and Canadians.

After days of official denials, Iran admitted that a unit of the elite Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) inadvertently shot down the commercial plane amid heightened tensions with the United States over the US drone assassination of a top IRGC commander in Baghdad.

The Iranian government has allocated $150,000 to compensate the families of each of the 176 victims, but some families have refused the money, demanding transparency and accountability.

Canada said last year that it found no evidence of premeditation in the downing of the aircraft, and a local court awarded $84 million to the families of six of the victims.

In its statement, the Association of Families of Flight PS752 Victims called on the countries that lost nationals in the incident to lodge a complaint against Iran at the International Court of Justice and support the association's complaint in the International Criminal Court.

The statement also called on countries to list the IRGC as a terrorist entity and for the Canadian police to open a criminal case and investigate the incident.

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