A group of four countries – Canada, Sweden, Ukraine and the UK – has asked Iran to arbitrate to settle a dispute over the downing of a Ukrainian jet in January 2020, BBC News reports. I asked. The plane, Ukraine International Airlines flight PS752, was hit by two missiles after taking off from Tehran, killing all 176 of his people on board. Iran admitted three days later that it accidentally shot down the plane. Iran claims its air defenses were on high alert at the time of the incident, as it had just launched ballistic missiles at two Iraqi military bases hosting US troops amid heightened tensions with the United States. .
But the four countries have accused the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps of “illegal and deliberately” firing surface-to-air missiles at jets. Under the 1971 Multilateral Convention on Threats to Aviation, it “required Iran’s submission to binding arbitration of disputes relating to the downing of Flight PS752″. We are committed to continuing our efforts to hold them accountable for their repeated violations of their international legal obligations.”
There were many Canadians on board.
Eighty-five of the flight’s passengers were Canadian citizens and permanent residents, and the families of all victims have demanded reparations and justice. “Those who lost loved ones in the downing of PS752 deserve justice,” Canadian Foreign Minister Melanie Jolie tweeted Wednesday. “We have taken an important step this week in advancing that quest for justice at the international level and will continue to work together to hold Iran accountable for this tragedy.” It is not clear what form it will take and whether Iran will agree to participate in the arbitration.
But the group’s request for arbitration shows their intent to hold Iran accountable for the disaster and seek justice for the families of the victims. This is not the first time Iran has fired on a commercial airline. On July 3, 1988, in the Persian Gulf, an Iranian warship fired a missile at a civilian Airbus A300B2-203 operated by Pan Am Airlines, killing all 290 of her on board. Airplane Flight 103 was flying from Frankfurt, Germany, via London, England, to Detroit, Michigan.
