CANADA MARKS PS752 TRAGEDY WITH DAY OF REMEMBRANCE
Questions unanswered a year after 176 people were killed over Tehran by Iranian missiles
Canada’s Prime Minister Justin Trudeau declared January 8 a national day of remembrance for victims of air disasters on the anniversary of the shooting down of Ukraine International Airlines Flight PS752 by Iran.
The plane carrying 176 people took off from Tehran’s Imam Khomeini International Airport at 6.12am local time. Minutes later, it crashed. After denying involvement, Iran admitted it had accidentally shot the plane down.
The Iranian government blamed the tragedy on human error and a misaligned surfaceto-air missile.
Fifty-five Canadians and 30 permanent residents were on board. It was one of the worst air disasters in Canadian history. One year on, families are still searching for answers.
“Air disasters have taken the lives of too many Canadians and left too many families across our country without loved ones,” Mr Trudeau said.
“Today, on the first National Day of Remembrance for Victims of Air Disasters, I join
Canadians across the country to remember and honour the people who were lost in these tragedies and mourn alongside those they left behind.”
The five nations whose citizens died announced on Friday they would hold Iran to account and ensure it paid full compensation to the bereaved.
Iran said two of its surfaceto-air missiles brought down Flight PS752 by mistake, killing all on board.
The incident happened during a period of heightened tension with the US after a missile attack hours earlier that injured US soldiers in Iraq.
Iran’s investigation into the crash has been marked by delays, incomplete accounts and blame-shifting, with a full report on the circumstances of the tragedy still to be published, in a breach of international aviation rules.
Ukrainian officials said last week they received a preliminary report on December 31 and had 60 days to assess its findings before publication.
The International Co-ordination and Response Group for the victims, comprising Canada, the UK, Ukraine, Sweden and Afghanistan, said it was committed to holding those responsible to account.
“Today, we honour the memory of those who perished and offer our sincere condolences to all who mourn the victims of the PS752 tragedy,” the group said.
“We share the grief of the families, relatives and friends who lost loved ones. We urgently call on Iran to provide a complete and thorough explanation of the events and decisions that led to this appalling plane crash.
“Our countries will hold Iran to account to deliver justice and make sure Iran makes full reparations to the families of the victims and affected countries.”
Tehran has accepted blame and said it would give $150,000 to each of the families of the victims, but the offer was dismissed by Ukraine.
In 1996, the US agreed to pay a total of $61.8 million to the families of 290 people killed in an Iran Air Flight 665 shot down by the guided missile destroyer USS Vincennes in 1988.
After its 2003 admission of responsibility for the 1988 Lockerbie bombing of a US-bound passenger plane, Libya paid $2.7 billion to the families of the 270 people killed.
Iran’s failure to properly investigate the event 12 months ago means it is unsafe for aircraft to fly over Iran, Ralph Goodale, the Canadian government’s key adviser on the disaster, told The National.
Mr Goodale said a similar incident could “happen again tomorrow” because of the lack of a thorough and transparent inquiry.
He said all options were open to Canada, including sanctions against prominent Iranians under the country’s version of
Magnitsky laws aimed at punishing state-backed abusers of human rights.
Meanwhile, investigator Agnes Callamard, UN special rapporteur on extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions, said the shooting down of the jet underscored the need for tighter rules on shutting down airspace in times of military tensions and for investigating air tragedies sooner.
Authorities are loath to shut air routes down for political and financial reasons during times of heightened tension, such as those that arose in January between the US and Iran after the assassination of Iranian military strategist Qassem Suleimani, Ms Callamard said.
“Passengers and flight crew cannot be left at the mercy of states and airlines who put revenue and other motives ahead of safety,” she said.
She called for the creation of a new body completely independent of governments and airlines to monitor air routes near conflict zones, to share information of threats and “prevent future incidents and save lives”.
Passengers and crew cannot be left at mercy of states and airlines who put revenue and other motives ahead of safety AGNES CALLAMARD UN investigator