Canadian court orders Iran to pay $1.7 billion to terrorism victims
A court in Canada has rejected the Iranian government's objection to an order to pay $1.7 billion in compensation to victims of terrorism from Iranian assets.
An Ontario court in Canada had ordered compensation from Iran's non-diplomatic assets in the country to be paid to the survivors of victims of "terrorist" attacks by Hezbollah and Hamas.
Iran appealed this ruling, but Canada's National Post newspaper reported on Tuesday, July 4, that the court had rejected Iran's appeal.
Three years ago, a New York court ruled that $1.75 billion in Iranian assets should be given to the families of Americans killed in the 1983 Beirut bombing. Because Iran’s assets were insufficient to meet the compensation awards, the survivors turned to Canadian courts to seek compensation.
Although the Iranian government objected to the rulings issued by the Canadian court, citing the principle of "state immunity," the court rejected this objection, citing the principle of "justice for victims of terrorism."
In 2012, the Canadian Parliament passed the Justice for Victims of Terrorism Act, which would remove the immunity of foreign countries that "sponsor terrorism" from civil lawsuits filed by victims of terrorist acts.
However, on Tuesday, after the publication of the ruling confirming the seizure of $1.7 billion in compensation from Iranian assets, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Bahram Qassemi rejected the ruling. He held the US government responsible for this, according to ISNA, stating that governments are immune under international law.
Last year, a Canadian court ordered Iran to pay $13 million from its non-diplomatic assets in the country to the survivors of terrorist attacks. The judge said in his ruling: “The question before the court is whether the Iranian government can enjoy immunity from jurisdiction in Canada for its support of terrorism.”
Canada considers Iran a state sponsor of terrorism. The country severed ties with Iran during the presidency of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, but following the nuclear deal and the coming to power of a new government in Canada, the country announced that it was considering reestablishing ties with Iran.
Source: Voice of America
