Ukrainian plane: Iran faces legal action over the downing of Flight PS752

Iran is facing legal proceedings at the International Court of Justice over the downing of Ukraine International Airlines flight PS752 in January 2020.

Four countries – Canada, Sweden, Ukraine and the United Kingdom – are seeking compensation for the families of the 176 people on board who were killed.

The plane was hit by two missiles fired by an air defense unit of the Revolutionary Guards, after taking off from Tehran.

Three days later, Iran admitted shooting down the plane by mistake.

The Revolutionary Guards’ Aerospace Force said an air defense unit mistook the Boeing 737-800 for a US missile.

In April, a court in Iran sentenced 10 members of the armed forces to prison terms but the families of the victims rejected the sentences as “senseless and unacceptable”.

They accuse Iran of failing to take all practical measures to prevent the downing of the plane, which occurred at a time of high tension between Iran and the United States.

The organization says Iran subsequently failed to conduct an impartial, transparent and fair criminal investigation and criminal trial.

The countries want the court to order Iran to publicly acknowledge its “internationally wrongful acts”, apologize to the families and give assurances that they will not happen again.

The application also asks the court to “order full compensation for all injuries caused,” calling on Iran to return the victims’ lost property and provide “full compensation” to the families.

In December 2022, the group jointly requested that Iran be subject to binding arbitration, arguing that the missiles that hit the flight were launched “illegally and deliberately.”

At the time, a Canadian Foreign Ministry spokesperson told the BBC that the Iranian government had six months to respond. That deadline has passed, prompting countries to move toward legal action.