Canadian court awards $84m to Iran plane crash victims’ families
Al JazeeraDec 05, 2021
ICJ Confirms International Case Over Iran Downing of Flight PS752
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Image copyright: Wikimedia Commons
The Facts
Canada, Sweden, Ukraine, and Britain have launched a case at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) against Iran over the downing of Flight PS752, which killed all 176 people aboard shortly after takeoff on Jan. 8, 2020.
Most of the victims — who were flying from Tehran to Kyiv — were nationals of those four countries, which have created a coordination group to hold Iran responsible for the downing. The nations claim that Iran violated "a series of obligations" against the Montreal Convention, designed to secure the safety of civilian air travel.
The Spin
Pro-Iran narrative
The downing of Flight PS752 was a tragic incident, but this case is unnecessary as Iran has already investigated events thoroughly. Punishments have already been issued to those involved by the Iranian government through the Iranian legal system, while restitution has been offered to the victims of the families. The filing is just an instance of foreign governments trying to unnecessarily politicize a tragic accident so as to put pressure on Iran.
Anti-Iran narrative
This filing is a positive milestone in achieving justice for the victims of Flight PS752. Though the extensive legal and political processes can be disillusioning, hopefully this filing with the highest court of justice will provide relief to the families of the victims and eventually see Iran held accountable for this avoidable incident.
