“We will not give up efforts to achieve justice": Foreign Ministry on the fifth anniversary of Iran's downing of Ukrainian plane
Kyiv • UNN
On the fifth anniversary of the PS752 tragedy, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine recalled Iran's crime and reaffirmed its intention to seek justice. The international group continues legal actions against Iran at the ICAO and the International Court of Justice.
On the fifth anniversary of the PS752 tragedy, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine issued a statement recalling the crime committed by Iran and reaffirming its determination to seek justice for the victims of the disaster, UNN reports.
Details
On January 8, 2020, in the skies over Iran, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps shot down a civilian plane, Ukraine International Airlines flight PS752, by firing two surface-to-air missiles. All 176 people on board were killed, including citizens of Ukraine, Canada, Sweden, the United Kingdom, Afghanistan, and Iran.
"Iran has grossly violated a number of international law norms: it used weapons against a civilian aircraft in flight, failed to take all measures to prevent the downing, and failed to ensure either a transparent and objective investigation into the circumstances of the crash or proper prosecution of the accused.
On this mournful day, we express our condolences to all the families and friends of those killed on board Flight PS752. We will not abandon our efforts to achieve justice and bring those responsible to justice," the statement said.
The Ministry also recalled that a year ago, the International Coordination Group for the Victims of Flight PS752, consisting of Ukraine, Canada, Sweden and the United Kingdom, initiated proceedings within the Council of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) against Iran for violating the 1944 Convention on International Civil Aviation (Chicago Convention).
"This proceeding is ongoing, and the next steps of the Coordination Group to hold Iran accountable at the ICAO Council will be taken in the coming months," the Foreign Ministry said.
In addition, it is reported that in October 2024, the Coordination Group also filed a Memorandum in the framework of the PS752 case at the International Court of Justice. Ukraine, Canada, Sweden, and the United Kingdom supported this key document in the case with indisputable evidence of Iran's violation of the 1971 Convention for the Suppression of Unlawful Acts against the Safety of Civil Aviation (Montreal Convention).
The Foreign Ministry called on the world's countries to join forces to protect international security, especially in the field of civil aviation, in order to avoid similar tragedies in the future.
Recall
The airplane crash killed 167 passengers and 9 crew members . All crew members and two passengers were citizens of Ukraine.
Immediately after the crash, UIA reported that the plane was in good condition and the company ruled out pilot error. However, the Iranian side insisted for almost three days that the cause of the tragedy was probably a technical failure that led to an engine fire. During this time, images from reconnaissance satellites appeared that confirmed the launch of two surface-to-air missiles, as well as a video of the Iranian military launching the missiles.
Already on January 11 , Iranian President Hassan Rouhani admittedthat the plane was accidentally shot down by missiles fired by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. Iran attributed the mistake to human error.
