Canada and its allies are taking international courts over Iran’s downing of flight PS752

OTTAWA – Canada is among four countries applying international law to ensure Iran is held accountable for the downing of flight PS752 more than three years ago.

The group of states, which also includes Britain, Sweden and Ukraine, six months ago asked Iran to agree to binding arbitration under a UN convention designed to protect commercial aircraft from attacks.

Since Iran has not agreed to the request, the matter will be referred to the International Court of Justice as soon as possible, the group said.

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

The passengers included 55 Canadian citizens and 30 permanent residents, as well as others with ties to Canada.

The call for binding arbitration followed years of fruitless negotiations with the Iranian government over redress and accountability for those responsible.

Secretary of State Melanie Joly planned to meet with the families of PS752 victims on Thursday to brief them on next steps.

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

Kourosh Doustshenas, whose fiancée died when the plane was shot down, welcomed the referral to the International Court of Justice as a step forward.

Despite Iran’s unwillingness to participate in an arbitration process, the next trial will take place “whether they like it or not,” said Doustshenas, a spokesman for the Association of Families of Flight PS752 Victims.

This report from The Canadian Press was first published on June 29, 2023.