'Justice' demanded over downed Ukrainian plane
January 8, 2021
Five countries, whose citizens were killed when Iran accidentally shot down a Ukrainian passenger jet last January, have called on Tehran to "deliver justice."
In a joint statement marking the anniversary of the downing of Ukraine International Airlines Flight 752, Ukraine, Afghanistan, Canada, Britain and Sweden demanded full reparations to the families of the victims.
"Today we honor the memory of those who perished and offer our sincere condolences to all who mourn the victims of the PS752 tragedy," read the joint statement — signed by the ministers of the five countries.
'Complete' explanation required
"We urgently call on Iran to provide a complete and thorough explanation of the events and decisions that led to this appalling plane crash," they said.
"Our countries will hold Iran to account to deliver justice and make sure Iran makes full reparations to the families of the victims and affected countries," the statement added.
Ukraine International Airlines flight PS752 was shot down by two Iranian missiles on January 8, 2020, shortly after taking off from Tehran, killing all 176 people on board.
The plane was en route to the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv.
The victims included 57 Canadian citizens as well as 11 Ukrainians, 17 people from Sweden, four Afghans and four British citizens.
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau issued his own statement on Friday saying the country had "worked tirelessly to get the transparency, accountability, and justice that the victims and their families deserve."
He said in honor of the victims, the country has designated January 8 of every year as the National Day of Remembrance for Victims of Air Disasters.
Revolutionary Guards' error
After initially denying any responsibility for the crash, Iranian officials were forced to admit that an Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) air defense battery unintentionally shot down the airliner.
The shootdown happened amid heightened tensions with US forces in neighboring Iraq.
The tragedy took place on the same night Iran launched a ballistic missile attack targeting US soldiers in Iraq, its response to the American drone strike that killed senior Iranian military leader General Qassem Soleimani in Baghdad on January 3.
It wasn't until August that Tehran retrieved the cockpit recordings from the wreckage of the downed jet.
Iran last week allocated $150,000 (€122,000) for the families of each of the victims.
Describing Tehran's handling of the situation as "unacceptable," Ukraine had earlier said the amount of compensation should be negotiated.
A Canadian adviser said on Thursday it was premature to discuss how much compensation to pay to relatives.
mm/nm (AP, dpa, Reuters)