Protesters gather across North America on the third anniversary of Iran’s downing of PS752

CNN
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Protesters rallied across North America on Sunday to mark the third anniversary of Iran’s shooting down of Ukraine International Airlines Flight 752 (PS752) and demand justice for the victims and their families.

A Kyiv-bound Boeing 737 crashed shortly after take-off from Tehran on January 8, 2020, killing all 176 passengers and crew on board. The Iranian authorities have recognized that its air force is affiliated with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps The plane was shot down by mistake after it was misidentified as a cruise missile by an air defense operator.

Of the dead, 138 were travelers to Canada, according to the CBC. The victims included 82 Iranians, 63 Canadians, 11 Ukrainians, 10 Swedes, four Afghans, three Germans and three Britons.

Protesters gather Sunday in Washington, DC. Portland, Oregon; San Diego, California; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and other cities across the United States. They also swarmed Canadian cities, including Toronto, Kingston, Halifax, and Regina. Globally, protests were held in Australia, Belgium, Turkey, Portugal, Germany and other countries.

Protests organized by Association of Families of Flight PS752 Victims, an international group seeking justice for the dead. We are determined to uncover the truth and find out why a commercial plane was shot down by Iranian Revolutionary Guard missiles. We will vigorously pursue justice so that the perpetrators, perpetrators and leaders of this horrible crime are identified and brought to justice before an impartial and independent tribunal,” website.

On January 10, 2020, then-President of Iran Hassan Rouhani chirp An internal investigation concluded that the accident was due to “human error” after missiles were fired at PS752. “Investigations are ongoing to identify and prosecute this great tragedy and unforgivable mistake,” he said.

At a weekly cabinet meeting on Sunday, sitting President Ebrahim Raisi paid tribute to those who died on board Flight PS752 and said the investigation into the tragedy was still ongoing, according to a pro-state newspaper. Hamshahri daily.

However, families of the victims say they do not believe Iran will achieve justice on its own.

In December, a coalition of four countries — Canada, Sweden, Ukraine and the United Kingdom — called on Iran to submit to binding arbitration in the dispute over the downing of Flight PS752. The coalition, called the International Coordination and Response Group, wants a “full, transparent and credible interpretation of the projection”.

Hamid Ismailiyun, a Toronto-based dentist who led the Victims’ Association after losing his wife and daughter who were on board PS752, says he hopes the alliance will succeed. “Usually the families of the victims are not at the forefront of decision-making and that’s a big problem,” he told CNN. Ismailon said that only governments can hold Iran accountable for its actions.

Iran has six months from the time of filing to respond to the request for arbitration, according to A Report from Global Affairs Canada which sets out the international legal protocol on this matter. “At the end of these six months, which cannot be extended, the four governments can formally refer the case to the International Court of Justice in The Hague,” the Ismailis said. Video Posted on the PS752 Flight Families Association’s Instagram page.

Ismailiyun recently engaged Iranian-Canadian director Babak Payami to chronicle his search for justice in 752 Is Not a Number. Payami told CNN that it provides “a window into the monument of injustice and brutality that exists in Iran by the regime of the Islamic Republic.”

Ismailon says he hopes Sunday’s protests will advance the fight for justice.

Speaking to a group of demonstrators gathered at the grave of his wife and daughter, Ismailon said: “This file will be recorded in The Hague, and this crime will be reviewed by members of The Hague and we will still hope that this court will be held in a free Iran. We will fight for that day, we will not forget and we will not forgive.” “.