Montreal Iranians and flight PS752 victims’ families demanding justice over Ukrainian jet downing
Posted December 28, 2022 5:44 pm.
Last Updated December 28, 2022 6:12 pm.
Members of Montreal’s Iranian community and of the Association of Families of Flight PS752 Victims gathered in front of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) in Montreal Wednesday to demand Iran be held accountable for the downing of the Ukrainian Airlines flight PS752, which killed 176 passengers, including 55 Canadian citizens and 30 permanent residents and others with ties to Canada, on January 8th, 2020.
In less than two weeks, it will mark three years since Ukrainian International Airlines Flight 752 was shot down by Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) shortly after taking off from Tehran. Two surface-to-air missiles hit the plane causing it to crash near a village outside the Iranian capital.
Protesters stood outside the ICAO’s headquarters in Montreal demanding the international organization condemn this national tragedy and take “severe” action against the IRGC and the Iranian regime.
Maryam Azimzadehirani, a freelance journalist based in Montreal who works with Iranian and Afghan communities, stands behind those rallying at Montreal’s ICAO calling on the firing of Iran’s permanent representative to the International Civil Aviation Organization, Farhad Parvaresh- who currently resides in Montreal.
“Iran’s membership in this [ICAO] organization has not been cancelled yet,” she told CityNews. “Today, different groups of Iranians in Montreal gathered to send a clear message to the Canadian government and ICAO to follow up on the case of PS752. To fire the Iran’s representative from ICAO. To form a committee to find the facts and details about this tragedy and put pressure on Iran to be responsible to reveal the reality about it,” explained Azimzadehirani.
This comes on the same day that a group made up of four countries including Canada, Sweden, Ukraine and the UK requested that Iran submit to arbitration following years of unsuccessful negotiations with the Iranian government in terms of reparations and holding those responsible to account.
These four countries have been seeking reparations on behalf of the victims’ families- many of whom were residents of those said nations.
If Iran does not agree to the demand for binding arbitration within six months, the case can be referred to the International Court of Justice.
