Canada, allies go to international court over Iran’s downing of flight PS752

Canada is one of four countries turning to international law to ensure that Iran is held accountable for the downing of flight PS752 more than three years ago.

The group of countries — which also includes Britain, Sweden and Ukraine — called on Iran six months ago to agree to binding arbitration through a UN convention designed to protect commercial aircraft from attack.

The group says that since Iran did not agree to the demand, the case will be referred to the International Court of Justice as soon as possible.

Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps shot down the Ukraine Airlines plane minutes after takeoff on January 8, 2020, killing all 176 people on board.

The passengers included 55 Canadian citizens and 30 permanent residents, along with others associated with Canada.

The call for binding arbitration followed years of failed negotiations with the Iranian government over reparations and holding those responsible accountable.

Foreign Minister Mélanie Joly planned to meet the families of the victims of PS752 on Thursday to update them on next steps.

“These families deserve transparency, accountability and justice and we will not budge in our efforts to seek this through international law,” Joly said in a statement. Impunity is not an option for the Iranian regime.