Legal filings revealed on Wednesday that Canada, Sweden, Ukraine, and Britain have jointly approached the International Court of Justice (ICJ) to initiate proceedings against Iran for the shooting down of a Ukrainian passenger plane in 2020, resulting in the tragic loss of all 176 individuals on board.
The Ukraine International Airlines flight was brought down by Iran’s Revolutionary Guards on January 8, 2020, shortly after departing from Tehran Airport. Iranian officials referred to it as a “disastrous mistake” at the time.
In their application to the ICJ, also known as the World Court, the four countries accused Iran of violating multiple obligations outlined in the Montreal Convention, which aims to ensure the safety of civilian air travel. They claimed that Iran failed to take adequate measures to prevent the downing of Flight PS752 and neglected to conduct an impartial, transparent, and fair investigation and prosecution.
The majority of the victims in the crash were nationals of the four countries involved, prompting the formation of a coordination group determined to hold Iran accountable.
Iran maintains that its forces accidentally shot down the Boeing 737 jet during a period of heightened tensions between Tehran and Washington. A final report released in 2021 attributed the incident to a misaligned radar and an error by an air defense operator.
However, Canada criticized the report for failing to address crucial questions surrounding the true events, while Ukraine labeled it a cynical attempt by Iranian authorities to conceal the actual reasons behind the crash, suspecting intentional action.
