Families of Ukrainian Plane Victims Protest Final Verdict; Case Goes to Supreme Court

The head of the Judicial Organization of the Armed Forces announced the issuance of the final verdict in the case of the Ukrainian plane and stated that due to the "objection" of the victims' families and some defendants, the case has gone to the Supreme Court of the country. A noteworthy point in Ahmadreza Pourkhahghan's statements is the objection of "some defendants" to this case. Ahmad Pourkhahghan stated on Wednesday, April 9, 2023, that the verdict of this case has been issued and will be "announced and communicated" before the end of April. At the same time, the Association of Families of Victims of Flight PS752 rejected the ruling issued by the Tehran Military Court, stating: "We have not accepted and will not accept the jurisdiction of this court at all, let alone submit to its ruling." This association announced in a statement on Sunday, April 27: "40 months after the brutal shooting of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps at Flight PS752, the Islamic Republic issued its show trial verdict on this matter, did not prosecute the main commanders and perpetrators of the crime, introduced ten defendants without verifying their identities, held secret sessions, insulted families who attended the sessions, and ultimately concluded this show with a nominal ruling without conducting impartial investigations to execute their predetermined scenario." A lawyer for some of the victims' families also pointed out the many flaws and ambiguities in this case, reporting a directive from "higher authorities" to close it. Mahmoud Alizadeh Tabatabai also criticized his lack of access to the case documents and stated that it seems a "directive has been received to wrap up the case." In this regard, Canada, Sweden, Ukraine, and the UK on Wednesday, July 14, 2023, requested the International Court of Justice to begin proceedings against the Islamic Republic of Iran regarding the downing of the Ukrainian passenger plane. In response, the legal deputy of the Islamic Republic government described the trial process of the defendants in the shooting down of the Ukrainian plane in Iran as "fair" and regarding the referral of the case to The Hague, he said: "This complaint will also lead nowhere." The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps shot down the Ukrainian plane shortly after its takeoff from Imam Khomeini Airport in the suburbs of Tehran on January 8, 2020, with two missiles, killing all 176 passengers on board. Most of the passengers were of Iranian descent, and many held citizenship from Canada, Sweden, Ukraine, and the UK.