The Ukraine International Airlines plane was hit by two missiles that Iran says were fired by mistake shortly after takeoff, killing 176 people.
Canada, Sweden, the United Kingdom and Ukraine have filed a complaint with the United Nations civil aviation agency against Iran for shooting down a passenger plane in 2020, killing 176 people.
The four countries, which had citizens on board the Ukraine International Airlines flight, accused Tehran of “using weapons against a civil aircraft in flight, in violation of its international legal obligations.”
The Boeing 737-800 was shot down shortly after taking off from Tehran on January 8, 2020, amid rising tensions with the United States following the assassination of Iranian General Qassem Soleimani.
Three days later, Iran admitted that its Revolutionary Guard had mistakenly fired two missiles at the plane heading to kyiv.
The four countries said they opened “dispute settlement procedures” with the UN’s International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) in Montreal.
The move was “an important step in our commitment to ensuring that the families of victims affected by this tragedy get the justice they deserve,” said Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, who attended a memorial service in Ontario to mark the fourth anniversary of the tragedy. disaster.
The countries have already filed a case with the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in The Hague, seeking reparations from Iran for the families of the victims.
They said Iran had “failed to conduct an impartial, transparent and fair criminal investigation and prosecution consistent with international law.”
In April last year, an Iranian court handed down initial sentences to 10 unidentified people accused of involvement in the incident, including the operator of an air defense system.
Iran also set compensation of $150,000 for each of the victims’ families and said it would begin making payments in 2022.
Tehran has rejected accusations that it is not cooperating or being transparent and has accused the four governments of trying to “politicize” the issue.
He has brought his own case to the ICJ, accusing Canada of violating its “international obligations” by allowing people to claim civil damages against Tehran.
