Families of victims of Ukrainian passenger plane gather in front of armed forces judiciary
The families of victims of the Ukrainian passenger plane gathered on Sunday, February 16 in front of the armed forces judiciary organization and demanded justice.
According to CBC Canada television network, one of the protesters at this gathering asks: Have you summoned Mr. Hajizadeh to court? Answer us.
Amir Ali Hajizadeh is the commander of the air force of the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps.
On the morning of Wednesday, December 9, 2019, a Boeing 737 passenger aircraft of Ukraine International Airlines carrying 176 passengers bound for Kyiv was shot down after taking off from Tehran airport as a result of being hit by two missiles fired by the Revolutionary Guards.
Iranian authorities initially claimed technical failure as the cause of the plane crash for several days. However, the United States clearly reported at the same time that the plane had been shot down. After several days, the Revolutionary Guards finally admitted that they had mistakenly targeted this aircraft. This delay in announcing the truth and the regime’s deception caused public anger and widespread protests.
However, not only have those responsible for shooting down this aircraft not been tried yet, but several civil activists who opposed the Revolutionary Guards’ action have also been imprisoned by the Iranian judicial system.
According to CBC, the families of the victims of the passenger plane met with Sadegh Arabzadeh, who is the deputy prosecutor of the judicial forces. In parts of the videos from this gathering, the voice of Mr. Arabzadeh can be heard saying: We cannot simply accuse someone. The investigation process has its own stages.
Iran says it has prosecuted six people regarding the firing and shooting down of passenger aircraft PS-752, but has not announced the names of these individuals, the charges they face, and other details.
Source: Voice of America
