Britain: We Will Hold Iran's Regime Accountable for the Downing of the Ukrainian Plane

On the fifth anniversary of the downing of flight PS752 of Ukraine International Airlines by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), the British Foreign Office emphasized London’s commitment to "holding the regime of the Islamic Republic accountable for violating international law." The statement noted that the UK will continue to pursue justice through the International Court of Justice and the International Civil Aviation Organization. The British Foreign Office also reiterated London’s commitment "to providing transparency, accountability for those responsible for this act, and access to justice for the 176 innocent victims and their families, including British citizens." The statement mentioned that the Islamic Republic has, for five years, despite admitting to firing a missile at flight PS752, refused to accept full legal responsibility for the downing of the aircraft, and this cannot continue. The Association of Families of Victims of Flight PS752 also emphasized in a statement on the fifth anniversary of the "crime of shooting down the passenger plane" that the families "will not cease their quest for justice" and that one day the perpetrators will be condemned and punished by an independent judiciary in Iran. Flight PS752 of Ukraine International Airlines was targeted by two missiles from the IRGC just under three minutes after taking off from Tehran International Airport on January 8, 2020, killing all 176 on board. Iranian officials, after three days of denial, eventually admitted to firing a missile at the plane but attributed it to "human error." The Islamic Republic's secrecy, numerous contradictions, and multiple false claims by various Iranian officials, including IRGC commanders, government officials, and the judiciary, have raised serious doubts about the veracity of the claims made by Iranian officials. Canada, Sweden, Ukraine, and Britain requested the International Court of Justice to begin proceedings against the Islamic Republic for the downing of the Ukrainian plane on July 5 of the previous year. These countries accused the Iranian government of violating the Montreal Convention and deliberately downing the Ukrainian passenger plane. The Ontario Superior Court in Canada also ruled that the missile strike on the Ukrainian passenger plane by the IRGC was "deliberate and terrorist." Officials from countries whose citizens were victims of the plane being shot down by the IRGC have also pointed to the intentional nature of the firing and the Islamic Republic's attempts to cover up and provide misleading information in this regard. Oleksiy Danilov, the then Secretary of the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine, stated that the IRGC "deliberately" shot down the passenger plane to prevent "increased regional tensions between Iran and the United States." Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau also stated that the Islamic Republic's official portrayal of how the plane was downed was "hypocritical, misleading, and superficial," deliberately ignoring important factors. Agnes Callamard, Secretary-General of Amnesty International, previously described the information released by the Islamic Republic regarding the downing of the passenger plane as "misleading" and stated that these explanations were designed to be "extremely confusing." Numerous reports have been published regarding the actions of the Iranian security forces to intimidate the families of the victims of flight 752. The Canadian Security Intelligence Service has reported that there are "credible reports" of harassment and intimidation of families and relatives of victims in Canada. Human Rights Watch had also previously stated that since the downing of the Ukrainian plane by the IRGC in January 2020, the families of the victims of this flight have been systematically targeted for harassment by Iranian government officials. The lawyer for the families seeking justice for the Ukrainian plane: The prosecutor said we did well to shoot it down. The Association of Families of the Flight: We will not back down from our quest for justice. Suspension of the court regarding the shooting down of flight PS752; families on the fifth anniversary: The decision was made in the "House".