Canada, Sweden have pledged to hold Iran accountable for overthrowing the Ukrainian plane
Canada and Sweden have reaffirmed their commitment to hold Iran accountable for the launch of Ukrainian Airlines Flight PS752 in January 2020.
In a joint statement issued on Friday, Canadian Foreign Minister Mélanie Joly and her Swedish counterpart Ann Linde stated that they were determined to “hold Iran accountable for the actions and omissions of its civilian and military officials that led to the illegal firing of Flight PS752 by ensure that Iran provides full compensation for its violations of international law ”.
They also reiterated their “commitment to work with partners within the International Coordination and Response Group in the pursuit of transparency, accountability and justice for the victims of Flight PS752”.
All 176 passengers and crew on the plane died in the disaster. Some relatives of the victims have described the firing of two missiles by the Iran Revolutionary Guards (IRGC) as a “deliberate act”. A 2021 report from the Canadian government found that the act was “negligent” but not premeditated. The passenger list included – according to the official Ukrainian manifesto – 63 Canadians and 10 from Sweden, as well as 82 Iranian citizens.
Iran has not allowed an independent and transparent investigation for more than two years and claims that the missiles were fired “by human error”. Families of victims in February told the Iranian government that instead of compensation, they want “justice”.
The called on the authorities to end their “lies and cruel behavior” and “psychological pressure on the grieving families” after the shooting down of the plane.