Ukraine's Protest Against Iran's Gross Violation of International Laws

The Ukrainian Foreign Ministry issued a statement on the fifth anniversary of the downing of the Ukrainian passenger plane over Tehran due to missile fire from the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), resulting in the death of 176 passengers on flight PS752. In the statement released on Wednesday, January 9, it was noted that the IRGC shot down the Ukrainian passenger plane with two surface-to-air missiles in Iranian airspace five years ago, killing all 176 on board, including 11 Ukrainian citizens as well as nationals from Canada, Sweden, the UK, Afghanistan, and Iran. The statement further claims that the Islamic Republic grossly violated several international laws by using weaponry against a flying civilian aircraft, failing to take practical measures to prevent the downing of the plane, not supporting transparent and objective investigations into the circumstances of the crash, and not prosecuting the accused. The Ukrainian Foreign Ministry extended condolences to all families and individuals who lost loved ones in the downing of this plane, emphasizing that it will spare no effort in seeking justice and prosecuting those responsible. The statement also mentioned that a year ago, an international coordination and response group for the victims of flight 752, consisting of Ukraine, Canada, Sweden, and the UK, initiated proceedings in the Council of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) against the Islamic Republic of Iran for violating the 1944 convention laws. According to the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry, the proceedings continue to progress, and the next steps by the coordination group to hold the Islamic Republic accountable in the ICAO Council will be taken in the coming months. The statement also indicated that this group sent a note regarding the case of the downing of flight 752 to the International Court of Justice last October. Ukraine, Canada, Sweden, and the UK supported this note, which included undeniable evidence of the Islamic Republic's violation of the 1971 convention related to committing unlawful violent acts against aviation safety. The Ukrainian Foreign Ministry also referred to the military and political support of the Islamic Republic for Russia in its aggression against Ukraine, stating that this cooperation places the Iranian government in the position of a killer. The ministry's statement indicates that this deep cooperation between the regimes of Moscow and Tehran poses an immediate threat to Europe and the Middle East. In conclusion, the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry called on the international community to work towards establishing international peace and security, including the safety of international civilian aviation, and to prevent such tragedies from occurring in the future. Flight PS752 of Ukraine International Airlines was shot down shortly after taking off from Tehran International Airport on January 8, 2020, less than three minutes after departure, by two missiles from the IRGC, killing all 176 passengers. Iranian officials, after three days of denial, eventually admitted to firing missiles at the plane but attributed it to 'human error.' The Iranian government's cover-up, numerous contradictions, and multiple false claims by various officials, including IRGC commanders, government officials, and judiciary members, have led to serious doubts about the credibility of the Iranian officials' claims. Mahmoud Alizadeh Tabatabai, a lawyer representing some of the victims' families in a case pending in the Iranian judiciary, quoted his clients as saying: 'The prosecutor explicitly told some families: We shot it down, and we did well to do so.' Oleksiy Danilov, the then Secretary of Ukraine's National Security and Defense Council, stated that the IRGC 'deliberately' shot down the passenger plane to prevent 'increased regional tensions between Iran and the USA.' Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau described the Iranian government's official narrative of how the plane was downed as 'hypocritical, misleading, and superficial,' deliberately ignoring critical factors. Agnes Callamard, Secretary-General of Amnesty International, previously called the information released by the Iranian government regarding the downing of the passenger plane 'misleading' and stated that these explanations are designed to be 'extremely confusing.' Numerous reports have emerged regarding the Iranian security forces' actions 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 the families and relatives of victims in Canada. Human Rights Watch has also previously stated that since the downing of the Ukrainian plane by the IRGC in January 2020, the families of the victims have been systematically targeted for harassment by Iranian government officials. The Ontario Superior Court ruled that the missile strike on the Ukrainian passenger plane by the IRGC was intentional and terrorist in nature. According to a military prosecutor's notification issued 600 days after the downing of the plane, a decision to not prosecute was issued for all main and high-ranking defendants in the case, which faced widespread objection. This ruling stated that for the main policymakers, including the Supreme National Security Council, the IRGC, the integrated air defense network, the passive defense system, the IRGC Aerospace Force, the Civil Aviation Organization, Hossein Salami (IRGC Commander), Amir Ali Hajizadeh (IRGC Aerospace Force Commander), and Ali Abedzadeh (then head of the Civil Aviation Organization), a decision of 'non-prosecution' was issued by the Tehran military prosecutor's office.