Iran Ordered to Pay $107 Million in Compensation to Families of Six Victims of Ukrainian Aircraft

On the eve of the second anniversary of the downing of Ukraine International Airlines Flight PS752 by missiles fired by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, the Superior Court of Ontario in Canada ruled that the downing of the aircraft was “a terrorist and intentional act.”

Edward Belobaba, the presiding judge, announced on Monday, January 3, in his ruling that the plaintiffs proved that the downing of the Ukrainian aircraft was “a terrorist act.”

The court, which held hearings based on a complaint filed by six surviving family members of victims of Flight PS752, ordered the Islamic Republic of Iran to pay $107 million in compensation to these individuals.

According to the court ruling, a copy of which was obtained by Radio Farda, Judge Belobaba stated that based on evidence and testimony presented by the plaintiffs and experts, the downing of the aircraft by Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps missiles was “intentional.”

The defendants in this case are Ali Khamenei, Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic; the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps; the General Staff of the Armed Forces; and several senior military officials including Mohammad Bagheri, Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces; Hossein Salami, Commander of the Revolutionary Guard Corps; Amir Ali Hajizadeh, Commander of the Aerospace Force of the Revolutionary Guard Corps; and Seyyed Abdolrahim Mousavi, Commander-in-Chief of the Army.

Based on this ruling, a report by Canada’s then-Minister of Public Safety also indicates that Iran’s claim that “human error” played a role in the downing of this flight is incorrect. The federal government of Canada is expected to soon release its findings regarding the downing of the Ukrainian aircraft.

Flight PS752 of Ukraine International Airlines was shot down in the early morning of January 8, 2020, shortly after taking off from Tehran’s Imam Khomeini International Airport by two air defense missiles fired by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. All 176 passengers and crew on board, including 164 Iranians, were killed.

Official representatives of the Islamic Republic of Iran initially denied that the aircraft was shot down by missiles fired by the Revolutionary Guard Corps, but after images and evidence were released by several foreign countries, they were forced to admit it.

Of the 138 victims of this incident, 139 were either Canadian citizens or permanent residents of Canada.

The Islamic Republic of Iran did not appoint a representative to defend itself in the Superior Court of Ontario, and the ruling was issued in absentia.

Experts in the Ontario court argued that given the advanced Russian Tor-M1 air defense missile system, radars, and multi-layered defense systems, the requirement for coordination, receipt of orders, and ultimately the firing of two missiles, the downing of the aircraft was an intentional act.

Meanwhile, Canada’s CBC News reported, citing lawyers in the case, that the victims are now seeking to seize Iran’s assets in Canada and other countries, particularly Iranian oil tankers, to receive their compensation.

Canada recently added the Quds Force of the Revolutionary Guard Corps to its list of terrorist organizations, but the victims of Flight PS752 say that given the intentional downing of the aircraft, the Revolutionary Guard Corps itself should be added to Canada’s terrorist list.

Earlier, Oleksiy Danilov, Secretary of Ukraine’s National Security and Defense Council, had said that the Revolutionary Guard Corps “intentionally” fired on the passenger aircraft and shot it down to “prevent an escalation of regional tensions between Iran and the United States.”

In an interview with the Canadian newspaper The Globe and Mail, he said he had raised this matter with Ali Shamkhani, Secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, during his visit to Tehran.

Canada’s Foreign Minister previously stated that he does not believe the reason for firing the missile was “human error.”

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau also said that Iran’s official account of how the aircraft was shot down is “hypocritical, misleading, and superficial,” deliberately ignoring important factors.

The official in charge of the Flight 752 crash investigation in Ukraine told Radio Farda that his country is awaiting the identification and punishment of the “true perpetrators” of the missile strike on the aircraft and the announcement of the “true reasons” for this incident by the government of the Islamic Republic.

Agnès Callamard, Secretary General of Amnesty International, described the information released by Iran about how the passenger aircraft was shot down as “misleading,” saying these explanations were designed to be “highly confusing.”

Not only have officials of the Islamic Republic of Iran failed to provide a clear explanation for the downing of the Ukrainian passenger aircraft, but according to multiple published reports, they have also intimidated the families of the victims of Flight 752.

Canada’s intelligence and security agency announced that it has “credible reports” of harassment and intimidation of families and relatives of victims in Canada. Human Rights Watch also announced on June 25 of this year that since the downing of the Ukrainian aircraft by the Revolutionary Guard Corps, the families of the deceased passengers have been subjected to organized harassment and intimidation by Iranian government officials.

Based on a notice issued by Tehran’s military prosecutor 600 days after the downing of the aircraft, which was handed to the families of the complainants in Iran, an order was issued prohibiting the prosecution of all main defendants and high-ranking officials in the case, a measure that has been widely protested.

Based on this ruling, an order prohibiting prosecution was issued by Tehran’s military prosecutor for the main policymakers, including the Supreme National Security Council, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, the integrated air defense network, the non-functional air defense system, the Aerospace Force of the Revolutionary Guard Corps, the Civil Aviation Organization, Hossein Salami (Commander-in-Chief of the Revolutionary Guard Corps), Amir Ali Hajizadeh (Commander of the Aerospace Force of the Revolutionary Guard Corps), and Ali Abedzadeh (then-Head of the Civil Aviation Organization).

Source: Radio Farda