Ukraine, allies initiate dispute against Iran for downing plane in 2020
ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Ukraine, Canada, Sweden, and the United Kingdom on Monday launched dispute-settlement proceedings against Iran for downing a Kyiv-bound passenger plane in 2020 on the fourth anniversary of the incident.
A total of 176 people were killed when Ukrainian Airlines flight PS752 was shot down over Tehran on January 8, 2020. Iran initially denied shooting down the plane, but later admitted that the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps had targeted the plane after mistakenly identifying it as an American missile.
The incident occurred amid heightened tensions between Iran and the US following Washington’s assassination of Iranian General Qasem Soleimani in neighboring Iraq.
In a joint statement on Sunday, ministers of Ukraine, Canada, Sweden, and the UK announced that they were initiating dispute proceedings before the UN’s International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) against Tehran for violating its obligations under the Convention on International Civil Aviation.
“For 4 years now, Iran has refused to take full legal responsibility for the downing of flight PS752 despite our numerous attempts to engage in negotiations on this matter,” read the joint statement.
The statement added that launching the proceedings indicates the countries’ “commitment to the families who deserve justice,” stressing that they are taking this step in the hopes of bringing about real change preventing “similar tragic losses in the future.”
The four countries - all of which had nationals and residents onboard flight PS752- launched a case against Iran at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in July, ordering Tehran to apologize and compensate families of the victims.
A total of 176 people were killed when Ukrainian Airlines flight PS752 was shot down over Tehran on January 8, 2020. Iran initially denied shooting down the plane, but later admitted that the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps had targeted the plane after mistakenly identifying it as an American missile.
The incident occurred amid heightened tensions between Iran and the US following Washington’s assassination of Iranian General Qasem Soleimani in neighboring Iraq.
In a joint statement on Sunday, ministers of Ukraine, Canada, Sweden, and the UK announced that they were initiating dispute proceedings before the UN’s International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) against Tehran for violating its obligations under the Convention on International Civil Aviation.
“For 4 years now, Iran has refused to take full legal responsibility for the downing of flight PS752 despite our numerous attempts to engage in negotiations on this matter,” read the joint statement.
The statement added that launching the proceedings indicates the countries’ “commitment to the families who deserve justice,” stressing that they are taking this step in the hopes of bringing about real change preventing “similar tragic losses in the future.”
The four countries - all of which had nationals and residents onboard flight PS752- launched a case against Iran at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in July, ordering Tehran to apologize and compensate families of the victims.