Ontario Superior Court: Shooting Down Ukrainian Airplane Was Intentional

Ontario Superior Court in Canada, in examining a complaint by families of Flight 752 passengers, has determined that shooting down the Ukrainian airplane was “intentional and an act of terrorism.” Four plaintiffs in this case have accused Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and commanders of the Revolutionary Guards and military.

Edward Belobaba, judge of Ontario Superior Court, in a ruling issued Thursday, May 20 (Ordibehesht 30), determined that the shooting down of Flight PS752 was intentional and described this action as “terrorist” under criminal law.

This ruling was issued in examining a complaint by four family members of flight passengers against officials of the Islamic Republic.

Hamed Esmaeilion, who lost his wife and daughter in the airplane downing, announced that the plaintiffs will soon hold a press conference and disclose details to the public.

Shahin Moghaddam, husband of Shakiba Foqahati and father of Rastin Moghaddam; Mehrzad Zarei, father of Arad Zarei; Ali Gorji, uncle of Pouneh Gorji; and one other family member who wishes to remain anonymous, are the four plaintiffs in this case.

In their complaint, they have accused the Islamic Republic, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, Ali Khamenei, and four military and Revolutionary Guards commanders, namely Mohammad Hossein Bagheri, Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces; Hossein Salami, Commander-in-Chief of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps; Abdolrahim Mousavi, Commander-in-Chief of the Army; and Amir Ali Hajizadeh, Commander of the Aerospace Force of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.

Flight PS752 from Tehran to Kyiv was shot down on December 8, 2019, minutes after takeoff with two air defense missiles from the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. All 176 passengers and crew members aboard the aircraft perished.

The Islamic Republic concealed the truth for three days and claimed the aircraft had a technical malfunction. After admitting to the incident, responsible officials have continuously claimed that the issue resulted from human error and improper adjustment of the air defense system.

The families of the victims reject this claim and are seeking the identification and prosecution of those responsible for the incident. In their latest gathering in front of the Judiciary Organization of the Armed Forces, they submitted a complaint against Secretary of the Supreme National Security Council Ali Shamkhani, Commander-in-Chief of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Hossein Salami, and Chief of the Joint Staff Mohammad Hossein Bagheri to the prosecutor’s office.

Source: DW