The Iranian Foreign Ministry issued a statement regarding the Canadian court’s decision about the downing of a Ukrainian plane. Ministry spokesperson Saeed Khatibzadeh condemned the court’s verdict recognizing the incident as an “act of terrorism.” In the statement, the spokesperson said that the decision taken by Ontario’s Superior Court of Justice a day earlier lacks basis and legitimate evidence.
Identifying the court’s verdict as part of the Canadian government’s politicized moves targeting Iran, Khatibzadeh said that “Everyone knows that the Canadian court is fundamentally not qualified to judge this aviation accident or potential negligence in an incident that is outside the territory and jurisdiction of Canada.”
A plane with flight number PS752, belonging to Ukraine Airlines, was shot down by missiles fired by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) in January 2020. All 176 people, heading to Canada via Kyiv, lost their lives. Iranian authorities initially denied its involvement in the accident. But then partially confirmed its responsibility saying that it was an accident caused by “human error” related to calibration of missile systems.
Last December, the Iranian cabinet decided to give compensation at $150,000 for each of the families of the victims, without setting any timeline for the payments. In April, on the other hand, Tehran’s military court announced that the indictments were completed and “officials who had responsibility in the incident would soon appear in court where the families of the victims would also be present.
Emphasizing that the Canadian court’s decision undermines the international legal regime, Khatibzadeh also stated that “We want the Canadian government to exhibit the behavior of a government that boasts maturity, and behave based on recognized international frameworks instead of pretending to be active in relations to this tragic incident.”
On the other hand, it was announced that another trial would be held in the future to determine compensation by the Canadian court.
