Flight 752 Family Association Spokesperson: Do Not Issue Visas to IRGC Commanders Under the Pretext of Accompanying National Team

The spokesperson for the Association of Families of Flight 752 Victims says if visas are issued to IRGC commanders “under the pretext of accompanying” the national football team in a friendly match with the Canadian team, the families of Flight 752 victims will hold a protest gathering in Vancouver.

Hamed Esmaeilyon on Thursday evening, May 22, called IRGC commanders “murderers” in a tweet who “spray pepper gas on girls and deprive women of sports.”

He then warned the Canadian government that if visas are issued to these individuals under the pretext of accompanying the national football team, the families of Flight 752 victims will be present in Vancouver with pictures of the victims.

The spokesperson for the Association of Families of Flight 752 Victims said Friday morning in another tweet, while referring to negotiations with police and Vancouver city authorities to hold the protest gathering: “According to a collective decision, members of the family association will not enter the stadium.”

The official website of the Iranian Football Federation announced on Wednesday that the Iranian national football team will hold a friendly match with the Canadian national football team on June 15 (May 5 in the solar calendar) in Vancouver in preparation for the 2022 World Cup competitions.

Following the release of videos showing Morteza Talebzadeh, the former Tehran police chief, in Canada in recent months, eight human rights organizations issued an open letter to the Canadian government in mid-February last year, warning that the country should not become a safe haven for IRGC commanders.

Ukrainian Airlines Flight PS 752 was shot down by two air defense missiles fired by the IRGC at a short distance after taking off from Tehran International Airport on the morning of January 8, 2020, killing all 176 passengers on board.

Ontario Superior Court in Canada ruled that the shooting of the plane by the IRGC was intentional and terrorist in nature.

Ukraine, Canada, and the families of the victims of this flight have stated based on available evidence that the Islamic Republic used this plane as a “human shield” against a possible American response to Iran’s overnight attack on Ain al-Asad base in Iraq.

Source: Radio Farda